Investing In My Four Crippled Yandere Wives Get 1000x Returns
Chapter 29|The Week Before

Chapter 29: 29|The Week Before

The days that followed blurred into a relentless rhythm of preparation — dawn sparring sessions with Vivian sharpening reflexes already honed by weeks of training, afternoons spent with Myria dissecting hours of Edward’s recorded fights, hunting for patterns and weaknesses in his flashy, crowd-pleasing combat style, evenings with Irene testing the growing range of Allen’s fire-infused throws against increasingly difficult moving targets.

"He telegraphs his enhanced strikes," Myria said on the third night, tablet displaying paused footage of one of Edward’s recent televised dungeon clears. "Watch the shoulder rotation before every major attack. It’s subtle, but consistent. He’s spent years relying on raw power and charisma rather than genuine technical refinement."

"Because he’s never had to refine anything," Allen said, studying the footage carefully. "Enhanced Strength bloodline, expensive equipment, a family name that guaranteed him easy dungeons and easier opponents. He’s never actually been tested."

"Which means he won’t know how to adapt when the fight doesn’t go according to his expectations," Vivian added, arms crossed as she listened intently despite being unable to see the footage herself. "Confidence built on an untested foundation crumbles fast, once genuine pressure gets applied."

They refined the strategy meticulously over the following days — draw Edward into overextending his enhanced strikes, use Guardian’s Instinct to anticipate the telegraphed patterns Myria had identified, close distance rapidly with fire-infused throws before he could establish the kind of flashy, prolonged engagement that favored his particular strengths.

By the sixth night, exhaustion had settled deep into Allen’s bones, every muscle aching from days of relentless training, but beneath the fatigue sat something steadier, more certain than the nervous uncertainty that had gripped him when the challenge first arrived.

He found all four of his wives gathered in the living room that final evening before the duel, the usual scattered, individual activities replaced by a quiet, deliberate closeness none of them commented on directly.

"Come sit," Myria said simply, patting the space beside her on the worn couch.

Allen settled among them, and for a while, nobody spoke at all — Irene curled against his side with her head on his shoulder, Everlyn’s hand resting gently in his, Vivian leaning comfortably against his other side, Myria close enough that her fingers found his free hand without hesitation.

"Scared?" Irene asked eventually, breaking the comfortable silence, her usual bluntness softened by genuine concern.

"A little," Allen admitted honestly. "Not of losing, exactly. More of what losing would mean for all of you. Everything we’ve built together."

"We’d still be here," Myria said firmly. "Win or lose tomorrow, that part doesn’t change, Allen. This family we’ve built isn’t contingent on you winning a duel."

"She’s right," Vivian added quietly. "Though I’ll admit, I’d very much prefer you win. Mostly because I’ve grown rather attached to the idea of watching Edward’s smug expression finally crack in front of the entire Hunter community."

Everlyn’s silent laughter shook her shoulders, and she squeezed Allen’s hand gently, offering a small, encouraging smile that needed no words to convey its meaning.

"Whatever happens tomorrow," Allen said quietly, looking around at each of them in turn, "I want you all to know that these past two months have been the first time in my entire life I’ve actually felt like I belonged somewhere. Regardless of rank, or bloodlines, or system rewards. Just... this. All of you."

The silence that followed carried a weight far heavier than words, each of them absorbing the quiet sincerity of his admission in their own way — Myria’s fingers tightening around his, Irene pressing closer against his side, Everlyn’s thumb tracing gentle, reassuring patterns against his palm, Vivian’s head resting lightly against his shoulder.

"For what it’s worth," Myria said finally, voice softer than her usual composed cadence, "you gave all four of us that same feeling first. Long before any of this."

They stayed like that for a long while, wrapped together in comfortable, unhurried closeness, the weight of tomorrow’s duel settling into something manageable rather than overwhelming, simply by virtue of not having to face it alone.

Eventually, one by one, exhaustion claimed them — Irene drifting off first, still curled against his side, followed by Everlyn’s quiet, peaceful breathing, until only Vivian and Myria remained fully awake, flanking him on either side in the dim, comfortable quiet of the living room.

"Get some rest," Myria murmured eventually, brushing a light kiss against his temple. "Tomorrow, you show Edward exactly what he’s been underestimating this entire time."

"And if I need extra encouragement," Vivian added, a faint, teasing smile touching her lips despite the late hour, "I’ll be more than happy to remind you afterward exactly how satisfying watching you win will be."

Allen huffed a tired, genuine laugh, settling more comfortably into the warmth surrounding him on all sides, and allowed himself, finally, to relax into sleep — not with the nervous uncertainty that had gripped him days earlier, but with the quiet, unshakeable certainty of a man who understood, perhaps for the first time in his entire life, exactly what he was fighting for.

[Investment Detected: Milestone — "Shared vulnerability and reassurance ahead of high-stakes confrontation, deepening unified party bond."]

[Sincerity: Extreme. Emotional Impact: Extreme.]

[Reward Generated: +700 Investment Points.]

[Total Investment Points: 34,120]

Tomorrow would bring Edward, the cameras, and the weight of everything the Veton name still represented.

Tonight, at least, brought peace.