Realizing what she had just blurted out, Marianne panicked and waved her hands nervously. "I didn't mean it. I'm sorry. Please forget what I said."
Zahn said nothing.
With his usual stone-faced expression, he simply turned around and left.
When it came down to it, he had chosen neither to believe the most important person in his life nor the facts. Instead, he had chosen the convenient excuse, convincing himself it was the most logical choice at the time.
And now, he was paying for that mistake.
Left alone, Marianne felt as though her head was a tangled mess. After all, feelings were not something that could be discarded so easily, even when the truth slapped you across the face.
Just then, her phone vibrated with a new message.
Seeing that it was from Venice, Marianne paused. The two of them had exchanged contact information earlier.
[ Venice: By the way, I forgot to tell you. At the time of the accident, Calin not only insisted that you had tried to harm her first, but I also remember her saying that you forced her brother to date you. Otherwise, you'd expose some blackmail material you had on him. ]
Marianne's hand trembled.
It also suddenly struck her how Sergei had introduced her as merely a friend to Saeki Jie and the others at the banquet, as though he was afraid of people discovering their relationship.
Come to love her?
Was this really how someone who claimed to have feelings for her would behave?
Marianne felt a lump form in her throat. Biting her lip, she silently scolded herself for being so foolish.
---
At the nation's most highly secured federal prison, Bryce Gate remained the most watched and high-profile inmate.
Originally, he had thought he could easily bail himself out. That was why he had calmly allowed himself to be taken away by the police during his own engagement banquet, but he couldn't have been more wrong.
What struck him even more was how detailed and undeniable the chain of evidence against him was. It was as though someone had been investigating and infiltrating his organization for years.
That realization was also why the first thing that crossed his mind had been betrayal within the organization.
But with nothing else to do these days except think, Bryce was becoming increasingly convinced that Shin Keir had played a vital role in his imprisonment.
He remembered their encounter at the airport. At the time, Shin had casually remarked that it might be his last banquet and had even offered some ridiculous advice about how unpredictable life could be.
The more Bryce thought about it, the angrier he became.
Time and time again, why did he always lose to that bastard?
Shin had taken everything from him.
From his identity and status as the Keir heir, his mother's affection. And now, the empire he had spent more than a decade building had crumbled just like that.
Even now, Bryce could vividly recall the look of utter indifference on Shin's face in the days following the villa fire and when those old geezers in the Keir Clan stripped him of his place in the family as though he had never existed and immediately naming Shin as the heir apparent.
In truth, Bryce's boiling hatred and resentment were not directed solely at the Keirs. A part of it was aimed at his own mother as well.
Back then, when it had been decided that Shin's identity as an illegitimate child should never be exposed, Eleanor Keir had been the first to agree. She couldn't wait to declare that she would treat Shin as her own biological son from then onward, terrified that Allister would divorce her.
But what about him?
Discarded to a foreign land like an object that had outlived its usefulness.
Did they really think he would be grateful for the scraps of money they regularly sent him?
Unbeknownst to anyone, part of the reason Eleanor had become increasingly unhinged over the years was because Bryce constantly provoked and threatened her.
Whenever they exchanged messages or calls, he made her feel guilty, fearful, and desperate.
Because the real culprit behind the villa fire, the one who had driven him to commit it, was none other than his own mother, Eleanor.
Bryce had intended to use her as a knife against Shin, not wanting him to live a good life. Yet contrary to his expectations, the news that constantly reached him was of Shin's success. How under Shin's leadership, KGG had grown into the conglomerate it was today.
He had thought he could finally give Shin a taste of his own medicine by getting engaged to Calin Ricci.
She was widely regarded as the most eligible fiancée among the elites, and Bryce had assumed she held a special place in Shin's heart.
As for Yeri?
He had simply assumed she was nothing more than a substitute, a smokescreen meant to protect the woman Shin truly cared about, Calin Ricci.
Yet that assumption had turned out to be a fatal mistake.
Not to mention that bitch couldn't have been more useless.
He had already provided her with resources, opportunities, and countless schemes to deal with Shin Keir only to make his situation even worse.
Earlier, the lawyer who had come to visit him informed him that Calin had been seen outside KGG.
Discarded like trash.
How the hell had she managed to ruin such a carefully planned scheme?
Could it be that Shin wasn't the least bit convinced that Ellis Keir and Master Zhi were responsible for his mother's death?
Bryce paced back and forth uneasily.
He refused to accept such an outcome. As long as he was still breathing, Shin Keir could forget about ever living in peace.
---
Meanwhile, the moment Calin woke up, she immediately flew into a frenzy.
She screamed, threw whatever she could get her hands on, and caused such a commotion that her mother eventually fled the room in fear.
"Shin Keir, you black-hearted scumbag!" she shrieked, grabbing handfuls of her hair. "You actually hit me! You dared to hit me! It's all because of you that I'm suffering! If you'd just followed the arrangement and chosen me as your wife, I wouldn't be in this mess!"
Then, as though remembering something important, she suddenly scrambled for her phone.
Muttering to herself, she frantically checked the screen before rushing out of the room.
"Calin, where are you going?" Madam Ricci shouted as she reached the living room. "Do you even know what people are saying about you outside?"
But Calin ignored her completely.
She stormed out of the villa, climbed into her car, and sped away.
Madam Ricci stood there in stunned silence. She hadn't even had the chance to tell her daughter to change out of her pajamas first.
While driving, Calin repeatedly called Hadi Keir, but every attempt failed.
Without a second thought, she headed straight for his residence.
The butler was startled when he saw someone who looked as though she had just escaped from a psychiatric hospital.
Nevertheless, he reluctantly went to inform Serenity.
"Calin Ricci?" Serenity raised an eyebrow.
She had known for a long time that Hadi Keir harbored questionable intentions toward Calin, but this was the first time Calin had actively sought him out.
Stepping out of her study, Serenity entered the living room.
The stark contrast between the two only made the atmosphere strangely surreal.
One looked as though she belonged in a mental institution.
The other looked as though she had just returned from a funeral.
"Where's Hadi? I need to speak with him," Calin demanded, completely ignoring basic courtesy.
Serenity crossed her arms. "I'm afraid I can't help you. He hasn't been home for days."
"Then where can I find him? His phone isn't reachable."
"Who knows?" Serenity shrugged. "Probably with one of his friends. Or one of the women he's keeping outside."
Annoyed, Calin frowned. "Serenity, I don't think I've ever had a grudge against you. Rest assured, I'm not one of his women. There's simply an important business matter I need to discuss with him."
"Business matter?"
Serenity looked genuinely speechless, giving her a slow once-over before sighing.
"I'm not trying to be difficult either. Honestly, I couldn't care less where that idiot went. But in case you're unaware, he's been temporarily disowned by the family. I don't think he's in any position to help you with whatever it is you're hoping to gain from him."
She paused before casually adding, "Though it seems he also did something a few days ago and successfully angered Shin Keir, so..."
Whatever it was that Serenity had said, it seemed to suddenly strike a nerve in Calin.
She sneered. "I don't think you understand. I don't have time to play word games with you. Hadi might not be a good husband, but he's a good friend. I know he'll definitely help me."
Tilting her head, Serenity smiled faintly. "A good friend? Are you certain he sees you as a friend?"
"What he thinks of me isn't my problem. Your jealousy is most likely the reason he barely comes home."
Serenity almost laughed.
Was she even hearing herself?
"Calin Ricci, you come here acting arrogant and condescending while demanding to see another woman's husband. Don't you think there's something wrong with that?" Serenity asked calmly. "If you're really just a friend, then why are you accusing me of being jealous? Really, what exactly are you trying to achieve here?"
Calin was momentarily taken aback, only then did she realize she had casually blurted out whatever had been on her mind.
Still, if Hadi truly wasn't there, then continuing this conversation was pointless.
Without another word, she shot Serenity a glare before storming out.
Serenity "..."
If there was anything remotely admirable about Hadi, it was his ability to like women who would most likely drag him straight to hell.
---
Back inside her car, Calin anxiously bit her nails, looking completely lost.
She was running out of time.
The hearings for her lawsuits would begin soon, and she desperately needed someone who could help her.
With Shin Keir out of the picture and Hadi's whereabouts unknown...
Suddenly, her eyes lit up.
Starting the engine, she sped away and arrived at SJ Entertainment in no time.
Only after stepping out of the car did she finally notice her disheveled appearance.
Hastily fixing herself up, she rushed toward the CEO's office.
The moment Saeki Jie saw her, he was so startled he nearly choked on his coffee.