That night, Yeri waited.
She sat on the edge of the sofa at first, pretending she was not waiting. The city lights glittered beyond the glass walls of the penthouse, the skyline stretching like a jeweled crown over the dark.
Every faint sound from the corridor made her lift her head only to see it was Carpet.
Midnight arrived quietly. By the time sleep finally claimed her, it did so out of exhaustion, not peace. She did not see even his shadow, nor the next morning.
She considered calling her parents but what good would that do? Surely, Shin Keir with his negotiation skills already has an excuse ready.
Yeri was many things, but she was not reckless when it came to her family.
Still, the frustration gnawed at her.
She skipped breakfast. Lunch loomed on the horizon, and she contemplated skipping that as well, stubbornness wrapping around her like armor.
Just as she was pacing again, her phone rang. The name on the screen made her sneered.
"Why aren't you eating?"
Shin's voice was deep, composed, threaded with a subtle scolding and something else beneath it, concern.
Yeri scoffed lightly. "Are you done pretending to be unavailable?"
"There have been a lot of suspicious people around you lately," he said evenly. "For your own safety, it's better you stay inside the penthouse."
Suspicious people?
Does 'suspicious' included him, Shin Keir?
The line went quiet for half a second, just enough to be noticeable.
"I'm serious." He added.
"So am I," she shot back. "I'm already on leave from school. Why don't you take leave from work too? Or is your office safer than your own home?"
"There's important business I can't reschedule," he replied calmly.
Yeri's patience snapped like a pulled thread. "Is this about Xian Song?"
"No."
The denial came smoothly, without hesitation and without any explanation.
"I have other matters to attend to," he continued. "Eat something. Don't starve yourself over nothing."
Over nothing?
Before she could retort, the line went dead.
Yeri stared at the screen again, her reflection faint against the dark glass.
Even if it had nothing to do with Xian Song, she was still the one involved. Whatever this was, whatever danger he hinted at, she deserved to know. She was not a porcelain doll to be placed on a shelf for safekeeping.
Yeri's frustration simmered low and steady when her phone rang again.
Venice.
Yeri answered with far less urgency.
Venice's voice floated through the speaker, dramatic and accusatory, as though she had just descended from an ancestral shrine to deliver judgment.
"Why didn't you inform us about your engagement?" Venice demanded. "Who are you getting engaged to?"
Of all the things Yeri expected today, this was not one of them.
She almost laughed. But she was in no mood to entertain Venice's theatrics.
"Oh, I didn't tell you because I was afraid you'd get jealous," Yeri replied sweetly, the sarcasm dripping like honey laced with venom.
"Jealous? Of you?"
"Well," Yeri continued lightly, "considering the man you're involved with is already married… forget a wedding. Even an engagement seems a bit far-fetched, don't you think?"
Venice "...."
Yeri did not wait for the other to start cursing and hung up.
---
On the other end of the disconnected call, Venice stood frozen, phone trembling in her hand.
Mortified did not begin to cover it.
Her face flushed a violent shade of red, as if someone had overturned a bucket of humiliation over her head. Her manicured nails dug into her palms, yet the sting did nothing to soothe the fire blazing inside her chest.
Unfortunately, she was at the hospital.
There was nowhere to scream, nowhere to throw a tantrum without attracting attention.
Earlier that morning, she had dragged Hadi there under the pretense of a routine check up.
Halfway through the visit, Venice had suddenly declared she felt faint, intending for Hadi to notice it.
"What's wrong?" Hadi asked.
Now, still simmering from Yeri's words, Venice seized the opportunity. She quickly wiped at her eyes, though there were no tears.
"She bullied me…" Venice murmured weakly. "She said I can't even get engaged…"
Hadi frowned. "Who?"
Venice sniffed, lowering her gaze as if crushed by injustice. "Yeri."
Hadi attempted to comfort her, though his words lacked weight. After all, he knew the truth. He could not give Venice a proper title, his own circumstances were tangled.
"I'm afraid…" she continued pitifully, pressing a hand to her stomach as though shielding something fragile. "What if our child is looked down on in the future? What if they're treated the same way?"
The mention of a child made Hadi stiffen.
He had been feeling slightly sorry for her, but now his thoughts drifted elsewhere.
"Yeri?" he repeated slowly. "Who's that again?"
"My cousin. The one you saw outside your ward when you were admitted last time."
Hadi's expression changed. Memory slid into place and he recalled the girl outside the hospital room.
The luminous, gorgeous face. The quiet composure.
His interest sharpened instantly.
"She dared bully you?" he said, his tone rising with performative indignation. "Where is she? I'll teach that girl a lesson!"
His jaw clenched convincingly, but beneath the act was a far less noble motive. He wanted an excuse. A reason that would lead him back to that unforgettable face.
Venice, blissfully unaware of his wandering thoughts, felt a swell of pride.
In her mind, this was proof. He loved her. He would not let anyone wrong her.
At that very moment, Hadi's gaze shifted past her shoulder and he was taken aback.
Not far away, near the elevator, he caught sight of a familiar figure.
"Calin?" He muttered.
Before Venice could react, he pulled his arm free and hurried forward.
Venice nearly stumbled from the sudden loss of support, her heels wobbling dangerously against the polished floor.
"Brother Hadi!" she hissed, regaining her balance just in time.
But he was already gone.
In a wheelchair by the elevator sat Calin.
One slender ankle was wrapped thickly in bandages, white gauze cocooning it like a fragile relic. Her face was pale, her expression gloomy, lips pressed into a thin line.
A maid stood behind her, clearly escorting her somewhere.
Hadi reached her side, worry written boldly across his face. "What happened to you?"
Seeing him, Calin's expression tightened.
For a split second, her displeasure flickered too openly before she smoothed it away.
She had not expected him. Nor did she particularly welcome him.
Hadi, however, remained blissfully blind to her obvious discomfort. In his mind, he was the only one truly capable of caring for her.
The last time she had been hospitalized, it was after the announcement of Shin Keir's engagement. She had been inconsolable, brokenhearted.
And now?
Now she was in a wheelchair shortly after becoming engaged to Bryce Gate.
The thought gnawed at Hadi's heart until it felt raw.
Meanwhile, Calin forced a thin smile. "It's just an accident."
At that moment, Venice finally caught up, she stopped a short distance away, eyes narrowing at the sight before her.
The jealousy was almost visible, curling around her like smoke.
She knew. No matter how attentive Hadi appeared toward her, the pedestal in his heart had long been occupied by Calin.
As Venice stared at Calin, another thought crept into her mind, unwelcome and persistent.
Up close, Calin bore a faint resemblance to Yeri.
It was subtle. From the nose down, there was a similarity in the curve of the lips and the delicate line of the jaw. It was different from the filtered perfection Venice had seen on screens before.
In person, the resemblance felt sharper, more unsettling.
Or perhaps Yeri's name was still lodged in Venice's mind like a splinter, making her see patterns where none existed.
Either way, her gaze darkened. She stepped forward, heels tapping decisively against the floor.
Calin turned her head slightly, her eyes cool as glass. "And you are?"
Hadi answered too quickly.
"A friend," he said, almost reflexively. "Venice Zhi."
Friend.
The word landed like a slap wrapped in silk.
Venice bit her lip, forcing her expression to remain composed, though her eyes burned faintly red.
But what else could she be introduced as?
Calin belonged to the same elite circle as Hadi. It would not be surprising if she were acquainted with his legal wife as well.
In the end, Venice swallowed her pride and accepted the title with a tight smile.
Calin, however, caught the surname immediately.
"Zhi?" she repeated, one brow lifting. "Are you related to the CEO of Zhi Corporation?"
For the first time since arriving, Venice felt a thread of dignity return.
"He's my uncle," she replied with a proud lift of her chin.
Recognition flickered in Calin's eyes.
"I see," she murmured. "I know Yeri Zhi. I honestly felt sorry for her after what happened at Zoren Lin's banquet."
"I was there as well," Venice said smoothly. "It was… embarrassing, what happened that night."
Her tone shifted, laced with implication.
"My cousin has always had that innocent face," Venice continued lightly, "but she tends to attract unnecessary attention. Men can be easily misled."
The accusation floated delicately in the air, coated in feigned concern.
Calin watched her carefully.
Venice's words were polite, but the bitterness beneath them was unmistakable. The two cousins clearly did not get along.
Interesting.
A spark lit behind Calin's otherwise gloomy expression.
"Well," she said suddenly, her tone brightening, "why don't you join me for coffee?"
Venice blinked in surprise, and Hadi, who found himself abruptly sidelined.
The maid began wheeling Calin toward the elevator again, as if the invitation were the most natural thing in the world.
"Coffee?" Venice repeated, unable to hide her astonishment.
"Yes," Calin replied with an easy smile. "It's been a dull morning. I could use some company."
Company that might prove useful.
"Where's Bryce?" Hadi asked, trying to insert himself back into the conversation.
At the mention of Bryce, something flickered across Calin's face.
Bryce, discovered half dead in his study, pale and unmoving against the dark wood floor.
"He's on a business trip," she said lightly, quickly smoothing her expression effortlessly.
The lie slipped from her tongue without resistance.