Calin fell silent, her gaze slowly shifted toward Marianne's unconscious body.
Inside, Calin cursed viciously.
She had been too overwhelmed, too emotional, too consumed by paranoia. In a moment of reckless impulse, she had lured Marianne there after confirming nobody else was around then pushed her from behind.
Before she could think of an explanation, her eyes suddenly landed on another figure descending the stairs.
Venice had followed after hearing Hadi talking to someone. The moment she saw the bloody scene below, her face turned pale instantly.
"Kyaaaah!" Venice shuddered in terror as her back slammed against the wall. "W-What's going on?!"
Hadi frowned in annoyance at her panicked screaming before turning back toward Calin, whose face had gone deathly pale.
Wanting to appear dependable in front of her, he descended the stairs and crouched beside the fallen woman.
Carefully, he pressed two fingers against Marianne's neck.
"She's still alive," he muttered. "I'll call an ambulance."
The moment those words left his mouth, panic exploded across Calin's face.
No. If Marianne survived...
But this was not the time to fall apart.
Almost instantly, Calin's expression shifted. Fear melted into calculated vulnerability with frightening precision.
"I-I didn't mean it..." she whispered shakily. "She... she was the one trying to hurt me. I only defended myself."
She covered her face as though trembling from trauma itself.
Hadi froze, then his expression softened painfully.
Seeing the woman he considered the love of his life looking so frightened made his chest tighten instantly.
He hurried to her side and pulled her into his arms without hesitation.
"It's alright. I believe you," he said firmly. "As long as I'm here, nobody can hurt you. I'll protect you."
Calin shook her head weakly as tears slid down her cheeks.
Dressed in that alluring red gown, her beautiful face pale and fragile beneath the dim stairwell lights, she looked heartbreakingly vulnerable.
The kind of woman who could make men willingly tear out their own hearts and place them at her feet just to see her smile again.
And Hadi was no exception.
He kept comforting her over and over, growing more desperate each time she cried.
"Tell me what happened, and I'll handle everything, okay?" Hadi said with complete conviction. "I, Hadi Keir, swear on my name, no matter what happens... if you tell me what to say, I'll say it word for word. I'll do whatever you ask."
He cupped her trembling shoulders carefully. "So please stop crying... you know it hurts me when I see you cry."
Only after hearing his endless promises did Calin finally seem to calm down.
Slowly, she lifted her gaze toward him, studying his face as if trying to confirm whether he truly meant every word.
Meanwhile, Venice stood forgotten to the side like a discarded ghost.
The fear she felt moments ago had already been replaced by confusion, disbelief, and a suffocating sense of chaos.
Hadi's behavior required no further explanation. His panic, his concern, the way he held Calin and the promises spilling so naturally from his mouth.
What exactly are these two to each other? Did the two of them have a past? Was Calin another one of Hadi's ex-girlfriends? Or worse, also his hidden mistress?
"It's my fault..." Calin muttered weakly, her body swaying as though barely able to remain standing. "I shouldn't have survived that car accident... I don't deserve to be happy or get engaged..."
Hadi immediately tightened his hold on her, listening intently.
"Marianne... she..." Calin continued in a trembling voice. "She forced my brother to date her. She threatened that if he refused, she'd tell everyone that I wanted Allen dead... that the car accident was my fault... she-"
"You mean that bitch lying there?" Hadi interrupted instantly, his face darkened with fury. "Then she deserved it. How dare she blackmail you? I'll make sure neither she nor her family will have a place left in this city."
"Just because she said it, you believe her instantly?" Venice suddenly spoke up. "Hadi Keir, are you really that easy to fool? You didn't even see what actually happened."
The two of them flinched slightly, as though they had only just remembered Venice was still there.
Before Hadi could respond, Calin spoke first.
"Venice, are you jealous by any chance?" she asked softly. "Don't misunderstand me and Brother Hadi. We're only childhood friends. As you already know, he's married, and today is my engagement banquet."
Hadi did not refute her words, but the unwillingness on his face was obvious, like a man trapped behind invisible iron bars called marriage.
Venice "...."
Calin's words sounded gentle, yet every sentence felt like a hidden blade.
It was as if she were subtly mocking Venice while simultaneously making her seem petty and irrational.
"I'm not jealous," Venice replied stiffly. "I'm just saying none of us saw what happened clearly, so how can we know you're telling the truth? Besides, the most important thing right now is calling an ambulance."
"Shut up," Hadi snapped immediately. "If Calin said that's what happened, then that must be the truth. I know her. Someone like her wouldn't even know how to lie."
Venice stared at him in disbelief. Wouldn't know how to lie? So certain?
Before she could speak again, Calin suddenly walked toward her and grabbed her hand tightly.
"Actually, Venice... can you do me a favor?"
Venice froze instantly, a terrible feeling creeping up her spine.
Calin's fingers tightened around her hand as tears once again slid down her cheeks.
"Say you were the one who pushed Marianne," she pleaded softly. "You and Brother Hadi can say you saw us arguing, and when you tried to stop us, you accidentally pushed her too hard and she fell down the stairs."
Venice couldn't be more shocked.
What... did she just say?
Even more horrifying was the way Calin spoke so naturally, as though asking someone to take the blame for attempted murder was no different from borrowing lipstick.
Her innocent expression clashed grotesquely against the malice hidden beneath her words.
Even Hadi looked shocked at first, his jaw briefly falling open.
For one fleeting second, Venice thought he would finally defend her.
Then Hadi nodded eagerly.
"Right! Right, let's do that," he said quickly. "We'll say we saw them arguing and this whole thing was just an accident."
"Venice, please..." Calin continued desperately. "You know I'm famous. I can't afford a scandal. And with my status, even if Marianne attacked me first, people would still blame me no matter what..."
"Are you both insane?!"
Venice finally exploded as she violently yanked her hand away from Calin.
But the moment she did, Calin suddenly stumbled backward and fell onto the stairs as though Venice had shoved her with full force.
"Brother Hadi..." Calin whimpered weakly.
Hadi rushed forward immediately and helped her up before turning toward Venice with murderous fury burning in his eyes.
Slap!
The sound echoed sharply through the stairwell.
Venice's head snapped violently to the side from the force. Blood trickled slowly from the corner of her mouth.
"Venice, how can you be so vicious?!" Hadi shouted furiously. "Calin was begging you, and you actually pushed her? Can't you just talk things out? Besides, your reputation is already ruined anyway. One more accident won't make any difference."
The world around Venice blurred for a moment. She leaned weakly against the wall for support, her chest tightening so painfully it felt impossible to breathe.
At that moment, something inside her finally cracked completely.
Not heartbreak, not sadness, but the realization that the man she had ruined her life for would gladly destroy her without hesitation if it meant protecting another woman.
For a long moment, Venice could not say a single word.
Meanwhile, Calin continued sobbing softly in Hadi's arms like a fragile porcelain doll moments away from shattering.
"Someone like you will never understand how important reputation is for people like us," Hadi continued coldly. "Especially for women in elite circles."
He glanced at Calin protectively.
"There are countless people jealous of her. People waiting like vultures for any opportunity to drag her down. You're not ignorant of all the black materials and scandals surrounding Calin over the years. She struggled to survive all of that."
Venice stared at him blankly before suddenly laughing mockingly.
"If this was really just an accident, then why is she so desperate to make me take the blame?" she asked quietly. "We could simply say we saw them arguing, and Marianne accidentally slipped and fell on her own."
Hadi immediately fell silent, even Calin's crying abruptly stopped.
The stairwell became deathly quiet.
After a while, Hadi sighed heavily, his expression softening as though he were the reasonable one in this situation.
"Venice... you need to understand," he said patiently, "Calin can't afford anything that could damage her image right now. This is a critical moment for her."
"You're protecting a woman who's already engaged to someone else?" she mocked bitterly. "I didn't know your heart was so noble. Willingly acting like some sanctimonious little lackey."
Hadi stiffened instantly. Still, he quickly regained composure.
"Just do this for her, okay?" he said through clenched teeth. "Didn't you want me to help your father? I'll make calls tonight and use my connections for him. And the villa I recently bought... it's yours now. The apartment in the city center too."
Venice's eyes widened. Not because she was tempted by the offer but because she finally understood just how far Hadi was willing to go to protect Calin.
What Venice didn't know was that this was never merely about whether the incident was an accident or intentional.
To Calin, uncertainty itself was the enemy.
That was why she got rid of Marianne in the first place.
But if the situation remained an "accident," then truths could easily twist into lies, and lies into truths.
Rumors were slippery snakes. Only by creating a clear perpetrator could Calin safely place herself on the pedestal of an innocent victim.
That way, even if Marianne woke up later and insisted she had been pushed, Venice had already become the designated culprit.
As for Hadi, Calin had long wrapped this fool tightly around her fingers.
Meanwhile, Hadi himself viewed this situation as the perfect opportunity to get rid of a woman he no longer wanted.
In the end, by the time the ambulance and police arrived, both Calin and Hadi already had perfectly rehearsed statements prepared.
Venice was furious, furious enough to scream.
But against the synchronized testimonies of two powerful elites, and without a single piece of evidence to defend herself, she was completely cornered.
A lone pawn trapped between wolves.