"What do you mean by give and take?" Elder Madam Keir's voice rang sharp with fury. "Everything you have now is because of this clan! A bastard like you, born of some unknown woman, would have nothing if I hadn't let you replace Eleanor's son!"
"Shin," another elder sighed, trying for persuasion, "is it because your mother wasn't chosen by the clan that you see yourself as an outsider? If only your father had told us of her existence sooner, none of this would have been so complicated."
Their words didn't move Shin in the slightest.
Since learning his true identity, nothing in the human world had weight for him, no insult, no judgment.
Except for Yeri, everything else had long since ceased to matter.
The voices rose, a mix of scolding, manipulation, and moral coercion. Some called him vindictive and stubborn. Others tried to guilt-trip him, appealing to loyalty and duty.
Shin said nothing. Instead, he calmly laid more documents across the obsidian table.
The head elder's eyes narrowed as he flipped through them.
With each page, his composure cracked a little further until even he could no longer mask his anxiety.
Elders who held higher positions leaned in to glance at the papers. Their expressions faltered: shock, envy, even fear. All of them turned to Shin, their faces heavy with unspoken calculation.
Finally, the head elder drew a breath, voice thick. "What exactly do you want?"
Shin smirked, his words slow and deliberate. "I think I already said it. Must I repeat myself? Otherwise…"
He leaned back in his chair, calm as if discussing the weather. "I'm thinking of an early retirement."
Elders "..."
The chamber erupted. Arguments clashed, whispers surged.
Elder Madam Keir shot to her feet, finger stabbing toward Shin. "Are you out of your mind? You're only in your twenties! What retirement?! You won't be satisfied until you've displeased everyone in this room, is that it?!"
The head elder's gaze dropped again to the stack of documents.
Business collaborations, negotiations, projects, each one worth staggering sums. Fifty billion. One hundred twenty-three billion. Eighty billion, so on...
Added together, nearly five hundred billion on the line.
The implication was clear.
Shin had anticipated the clan's interference with his marriage and had prepared these contracts as his weapon. A bargaining chip sharp enough to cut the entire table in half.
"Head Elder, what are we waiting for?" Elder Madam Keir snapped. "We cannot let this bastard hold us hostage with these contracts. If he wants to retire, then let him! Tristan, or even Ellis's sons, can replace this lunatic!"
"Shut up." The head elder's voice boomed, his face dark with anger.
Did she think this was some schoolyard election? That they could simply vote in a new "class president" and the outside world wouldn't care?
The matriarch, blinded by her own pride, had no understanding of business. She didn't realize that if Shin truly stepped down, the company would be plunged into chaos.
Business was a race. No one would stop running and wait for you just because you tripped.
Restructuring KGG in the midst of these contract negotiations? Everything would likely collapse the moment Shin stepped down.
Moreover, in every single one, there was a clause: either party could cancel without penalty if leadership changed mid-negotiation.
If Shin was replaced, clients, investors, and partners alike would lose faith.
Billions would be lost.
Yes, Tristan was capable. But his reputation as a playboy and his carefree nature made him unsuitable to lead as CEO.
Two of the contracts bore his signature, with clauses identical to those signed by Shin, meaning he wouldn't care if they fell apart should anything change midway.
As the head elder weighed this, the truth dawned on many of the council: without Shin, the company's future was dangerously uncertain.
Elder Madam Keir's suggestion of Hadi or Hiro as successors was laughable. Other elders openly scoffed, some even sneered at her desperation.
Yet greed still lingered in the air. Some whispered of other candidates, of opportunities to seize if Shin was forced out.
"Shin, how dare you threaten the clan like this?" one elder shouted, face red with rage. "Do you think we can't function without you? You're just a brat, letting a few achievements swell your head. My son is just as capable, he could manage the company as well as you!"
The chamber broke into fresh bickering.
But beneath it all, Elder Madam Keir's expression darkened with a fear she couldn't hide.
She understood, at least, that if her three grandsons were not chosen to replace Shin, her position as matriarch would vanish. She would be reduced to nothing more than an ordinary elder, her influence stripped away.
"Who is your son?" She shrieked. "Could he negotiate billions in contracts? Does he even know another language?"
Finally, the head elder tapped his cane, the sharp sound echoing against the marble floor. At once, the room fell silent.
His eyes settled on Shin. "Since you are so determined to oppose this arranged engagement and even came well prepared, there must be an important reason. Or should I say… a person."
Shin did not hesitate. He reached into his folder, pulled out a document, and handed it directly to the head elder. "She will be my fiancée and future wife. No one else."
Gasps rippled through the chamber.
The elders leaned forward, their curiosity piqued. Shin had never been linked to any woman before.
For years, whispers circled that he must be uninterested in women altogether, some even speculated he was gay. And yet, here was proof. A woman. A choice.
The head elder unfolded the file with deliberate care, examining the contents. Before anyone else could speak, Elder Madam Keir's sharp voice sliced through the tension.
"Isn't this the girl your father once brought to your house?" she exclaimed, eyes narrowing. "You actually chose your father's odd preference over mine? Just like him always enchanted by pretty faces rather than status or background! Do you intend to repeat his mistakes, Shin? What will you do when people start whispering you fell into a beauty trap? To marry a girl far younger than you, do you wish to be a laughingstock?!"
Her tirade stirred the chamber into an even greater hum of voices. Some watched her with fascination, others with annoyance.
The head elder's face, however, turned serious. He passed the file to the council, each elder taking turns to study it.
Unlike Elder Madam Keir, he viewed the matter differently. In fact, a flicker of admiration stirred within him.
It wasn't just Shin's competence in running the company, it was his foresight. His calculation.
The Zhi clan might not be as internationally renowned as the Ricci, but they were an old-money family. Their roots ran deep, their name steady and unsullied by scandals.
To the head elder, that alone was worth far more than the flashy reputation of the nouveau riche.
Surely, Shin had weighed this carefully.
Perhaps he simply wanted everyone to leave him alone and stop bombarding him with constant demands to marry. So, he chose someone who posed no threat, someone who could quietly stay at home, fulfill the role of his wife, and allow him to continue focusing on his work.
The Zhi family are unambitious in power politics, their fortune built solidly in the food sector. The Ricci, on the other hand, had already bared their fangs before an engagement was even solidified.
Between a dangerous alliance and a stable, quiet one, the choice was obvious.
Though not fully satisfied, the head elder conceded: this Yeri Zhi was not a bad choice.
But Elder Madam Keir bristled, unwilling to yield. "He only chose her to anger us! Look at her, doesn't she remind you of that vixen mother of his?"
That earned her a sharp glare from the elder woman seated beside her. Finally, the woman snapped, voice heavy with disdain.
"What nonsense are you spouting now? That woman was an orphan, an ordinary citizen with nothing. This girl is from the Zhi clan, raised in refinement, well-educated, and properly groomed."
"The Zhis?" Elder Madam Keir sneered. "An unknown family! Do you not care for the Keirs' reputation? Have we truly lowered our standards this far?"
But this time, she was met not with nods of agreement, but with frowns and strange looks. Unlike her, many of the council knew very well who the Zhis were.
"The Zhis built their wealth in food manufacturing. They hardly benefit the Keirs' core industries," one elder finally voiced out.
"Are these contracts not enough for you?" Shin's cool voice cut him short.
That stack of documents lay on the table and gleaming like weapons, silencing everyone.
Now they understood. This was why Shin had played his hand so boldly. These were deals worth billions, signed and sealed. Even the devil himself would smile at such terms.
When weighed against what the Ricci could offer, the difference was glaring. The Ricci alliance would only plug their financial holes and drag the Keirs into messy politics. But with the Zhis, Shin had secured both stability and profit.
One by one, the murmurs died down. The balance sheet of risk and gain was too clear.
Even Elder Madam Keir, who had been clamoring the loudest seconds ago, fell silent. Her lips pressed tight, her cane trembling faintly in her grasp. She knew why.
The elder woman beside her, her rival, was already suggesting that if Shin was to be opposed, then her grandson should also compete for the CEO position. And if Hadi and Hiro joined that fight…
Her stomach twisted. The thought of losing the matriarch's position chilled her more than losing a future granddaughter-in-law she liked.
Compared to that nightmare, compared to the humiliation of being stripped of her seat of power, conceding on Shin's marriage was the lesser evil.
And so, Elder Madam Keir fell completely quiet.