Within minutes, the internet transformed into a battlefield of opinions.
"What do you mean she wasn't the culprit?! Then who was?!"
"So all these years we were wrong???"
"Wait- does this mean the Neri family framed her??! Besides, what's the lawsuit about? Is Zahn Neri going against his own mother?"
"He said he never initiated the divorce and still has feelings for his wife… is this some redemption arc with belated affection? Suddenly I'm invested. What exactly did he do to hurt her?"
The questions came like arrows, sharp, relentless, each one piercing deeper into a truth that had long been buried.
"I knew it! Something always felt off back then. They were childhood sweethearts and already dating, so drugging him wasn't even necessary."
"She never once defended herself… maybe she really couldn't."
"Imagine suffering for years because of something you didn't do… I think the world owes this woman an apology."
Sympathy began to trickle in, but not everyone was ready to abandon their previous stance.
"This is too sudden. Sounds like damage control to me."
"Convenient timing. Now that there's a lawsuit, suddenly she's innocent?"
"Hahaha, I remember people saying the rich have nothing better to do than create scandals. Looks like more and more of them are airing their dirty laundry. So much for 'noble' families."
And then, inevitably, the narrative took a darker turn. Like clockwork, a new target emerged.
"And what about Yeri Zhi? Zahn Neri said he did something unforgivable… could it be he actually had something going on with Yeri? Wasn't she close to his wife? Oh my God… is this a double betrayal?"
"What else could push a woman to divorce? There's always a third party. My bet? It's Yeri the homewrecker."
"You have to admit, Yeri has the kind of beauty even a renowned doctor couldn't ignore. And as her physician… who knows what lines were crossed? 🫢"
Speculation spiraled, twisting facts into something unrecognizable.
---
It wasn't long before Madam Neri's call came through.
The moment Zahn answered, her voice burst through the line, sharp, frantic, laced with anger and disbelief.
"Have you lost your mind?!"
She didn't wait for a response, launching into a tirade, each word louder than the last, her composure unraveling with every passing second.
But Zahn had no patience left.
"Enough. I already know everything," he said.
Madam Neri paused. For a split second, her mind faltered, unable to grasp what he meant.
"What are you talking about?" she demanded, her tone tightening. "Come see me. We'll talk this through properly- "
Then, as if remembering Lianna, her voice sharpened further, venom slipping in without restraint.
"That woman, she's nothing but a jinx. Ungrateful, unstable, and now she's chasing attention- "
"Stop." Zahn's voice hardened. "From now on, I won't allow you to speak about Lianna like that."
The firmness in his tone was unfamiliar, cold, resolute.
For years, she had known exactly how to steer him, how to press the right emotional strings to bend him back into place.
And just as she prepared to do so, Zahn spoke again.
"I know you were behind the drugging, and Lianna's father."
The words landed like a thunderclap.
His voice grew hoarse, strained under the weight of what he was finally confronting.
"How could you do something so cruel?" he demanded. "What was your intention? To destroy her? To drive her to self-harm?"
On the other end, Madam Neri's fingers tightened around her phone. A flicker of alarm passed through her eyes.
Impossible.
That was her first thought.
Her heartbeat quickened, but she forced herself to remain still, to think.
She had erased everything, every trace, every connection. Even the most meticulous investigation shouldn't have been able to reach her.
Unless—
A thought struck her like a crack of lightning. Lianna's father.
That greedy, short-sighted fool, had he… made a mistake?
For the first time in years, Madam Neri felt something unfamiliar creeping into her chest, not anger, not control... But the faint, cold edge of unease.
Madam Neri drew in a sharp breath, her tone shifting in an instant.
"If you already know everything," she said, voice trembling with restrained anger, "then you should understand why I did it."
When reason failed, she turned to something far more familiar: control.
"Mothers do everything for their children. I am your mother. And yet here you are, persecuting me… siding with an outsider?"
Her words came heavy with moral coercion, laced with wounded righteousness.
"And that woman Lianna, have you ever considered she's unstable? Have you? Perhaps all of this is just another one of her episodes. She should be evaluated properly- "
"If you're innocent," he said coldly, "then you have nothing to fear."
Madam Neri was stunned, her usual tactics failed to land.
Exhaustion seeped into Zahn's bones, dull and unrelenting. Without another word, he ended the call.
He had no strength left to listen.
---
The next day, the storm escalated, this time, it was no longer a personal matter.
Neri Medical Hospital stood at the center of a scandal far more devastating than any rumor or family dispute.
Explosive reports surfaced overnight.
Kickbacks and improper financial relationships. Fraudulent billing and false claims.
And at the center of it all was Madam Neri.
A web of corruption so intricate it felt almost deliberate in its design.
The institution that once stood as a symbol of prestige and trust now teetered on the edge of collapse.
If proven true, the consequences would be catastrophic.
The fallout was immediate.
Authorities began circling. Regulatory bodies moved swiftly.
The hospital now faced prosecution, crippling financial penalties, and the most damning consequence of all— The potential revocation of its operating license.
A death sentence for the hospital.
Shin read the news early that morning, the glow of the screen reflecting in his eyes like a quiet fire.
"The Songs have started moving," Secretary Yun reported.
A faint smirk curved Shin's lips.
"Took them long enough," he murmured, almost amused.
He had been waiting for them to step onto the stage.
Now, only one piece remained: Bryce Gate.
Once that man surfaced, he could sweep them all in a single motion.
Since the Songs couldn't shake the Keir family, they had shifted their target to the Neris instead.
And Xavier Song, for him to entangle himself with Madam Neri, of all people, was as calculated as it was repulsive.
But then again, the Songs had never cared about methods, only results.
Secretary Yun placed another stack of reports onto the desk. "Xavier Song and Madam Neri were seen leaving a hotel together last night."
For a fleeting second, his expression faltered, disgust slipping through the cracks of his professionalism.
The image alone was enough to unsettle him.
Madam Neri had preserved her appearance well over the years, but time was not something anyone could truly escape. And a man like Xavier Song…
Love?
That word didn't belong anywhere near him.
What existed between them was nothing more than transaction, cold, calculated, and quietly repulsive.
And now, the so-called noble madam would pay the price for trusting the wrong man.
"The report doesn't include Madam Neri's illegal asset transfers or bank flows," Secretary Yun added.
Shin wasn't surprised.
"Of course not," he replied calmly. "The recipient is Xavier Song. Why would he expose himself?"
A predator never sets fire to its own den.
"Boss," Secretary Yun continued, glancing at his tablet, "there's an update."
Shin's gaze shifted slightly.
"They're linking KGG to the hospital's illegal activities. Claiming the company was aware but did nothing."
A faint arch of Shin's brow, so they were getting impatient.
It seemed that the recent wave of public criticism dragging both him and Yeri through the mud had emboldened them.
They must have assumed the pressure was taking its toll, like he was drowning in crises.
Especially now, with accusations tying him to the old matriarch's sudden coma, they likely believed he was too preoccupied to interfere with the Neri situation.
A quiet chuckle escaped him, low and dangerous.
"They really think I don't have time for them."
His gaze darkened, sharp as a blade drawn halfway from its sheath.
There was no trace of strain.
Only the calm, predatory stillness of someone watching prey walk willingly into a trap.
---
That night, just as Shin was about to leave for work, his phone rang.
Tristan. "I can't find Zahn Neri."
Shin paused mid-step, his gaze darkening slightly.
Ever since the divorce, he had expected Zahn's state of mind to be unstable, making him an easy target. The Songs wouldn't hesitate to take advantage of that vulnerability, and precisely why Shin had people keeping track of Zahn's movements.
"Did he go to see his ex-wife?" Shin asked.
"Already checked," Tristan replied. "He never went there. I'll deploy more people to search."
A fleeting thought crossed Shin's mind.
"…Did he turn suicidal?"
"That shouldn't be the case. I'll expand the search radius," Tristan said, his tone turning serious.
Shin ended the call, his expression unreadable.
Zahn Neri had better not choose this moment to fall apart.
---
Elsewhere, beneath dim lights and drowning music, a bar's VIP private room reeked of alcohol and quiet ruin.
Zahn slumped against the couch, a half-empty bottle dangling loosely from his hand. His eyes were barely open, his consciousness drifting in and out like a flickering flame.
"…Lianna…"
Her name slipped from his lips again, fragile, broken.
"I'm… sorry…"
The words came out in fragments, dissolving into the heavy air.
The door creaked open and a woman stepped inside.
Her heels clicked softly against the floor as she approached, her gaze lingering on his disheveled state before she took a seat beside him.
"Why are you doing this to yourself?" she murmured, her voice laced with concern but something else lurked beneath it. "Lianna isn't worth you ending up like this. You shouldn't be blaming yourself."
Zahn didn't respond. He simply lifted the glass in his hand and drank again, the burn of alcohol the only thing grounding him.
Vanessa's eyes flickered as she shifted closer.
"You're going to make yourself sick if you keep this up," she said gently, reaching out as if to stop him. "If I were your wife… it would break my heart just to see you frown."
Her voice softened further, almost a whisper.
"No matter what disagreements we had, I would never go as far as divorcing you. What couple doesn't fight?"
Zahn's hand stilled.
Slowly, he turned his head, trying to focus on the figure beside him. But his vision blurred, her face dissolving into indistinct shapes under the haze of alcohol.