"Sergei, where's Calin? Some of the guests are looking for her. They want to chat." Marianne approached them gracefully.
Saeki's eyes lit up the moment he saw her, openly sizing her up for a brief second. "And who might this beauty be?"
Marianne smiled shyly and glanced at Sergei, about to introduce herself, but Sergei spoke first.
"A close friend. Marianne Vega. She's a doctor at Zahn's Hospital."
The smile on Marianne's face froze instantly. Confusion and faint betrayal flickered across her eyes.
"Really?" Saeki grinned, clearly amused. "That stone-faced guy sure is lucky. Not only does he have a capable colleague, but a top-tier beauty too."
He extended his hand casually. "Hello, I'm Saeki Jie."
Marianne mechanically accepted the handshake, though her thoughts remained stuck on one question.
Why did Sergei introduce her as just a friend?
Just then, Saeki spotted Yeri again across the hall and his attention shifted immediately.
"Well, duty calls." He winked at Marianne before excusing himself.
Sergei sighed quietly before turning to her. "Don't be upset. I only said that to protect you. Saeki Jie is a notorious playboy within our circle. If I introduced you as my girlfriend, he'd most likely never leave you alone."
He lowered his voice slightly. "He especially enjoys chasing women who are already in relationships. He may seem friendly, but just like Shin Keir, he and the others love targeting me."
Marianne blinked in surprise. She didn't know much about Shin Keir's inner circle. They were famously tight-knit, untouchable elites. Still, she had heard plenty of rumors about Saeki and Tristan's infamous reputations.
Truthfully, she was a little upset but if Sergei truly meant it as protection...
Her expression softened into understanding as she gently wrapped her hand around his arm.
Meanwhile, Sergei's gaze continued wandering through the crowd, clearly still searching for someone.
"Sis-in-law, I didn't want to ask earlier since you were with your parents, but can we talk about it now? The contract, hmm?" Saeki cornered Yeri near the dessert buffet.
Yeri took another bite of her matcha cake and nodded in satisfaction before finally acknowledging him.
Ever since she posted that reel of Shin Keir, Saeki had been relentlessly pestering her to sign with SJ Entertainment.
"How exactly does it work? I've been really busy lately, so I still haven't shown the contract to my lawyer yet," Yeri said cautiously.
Saeki grabbed himself a slice of cake as well before smoothly launching into another pitch about collaboration posts, paid partnership labels, and sponsored content.
"Are you sure I won't have to report to your agency or do acting, promotions, or livestreams?" Yeri asked skeptically.
"Sis-in-law, with your current popularity, you don't need to desperately chase content anymore," Saeki said confidently. "My company will handle everything. You only need to post occasionally, and every post will still require your approval."
He leaned slightly closer, lowering his voice conspiratorially. "And if you still don't trust me, you can always ask big bro to review the contract. You probably don't know this, but he's actually one of my major investors."
Yeri paused.
The way he explained everything so smoothly almost made her feel convinced already. Still, business was business. She couldn't afford to be careless.
"Considering your millions of followers," Saeki continued, "you'll easily earn millions yourself with just a few collaborations from partnered brands."
Millions? Yeri stared at him as though he had just whispered a sacred spell from the ancient scriptures of capitalism.
Who wouldn't want money?
Back then, she had no interest in any of this because she genuinely didn't want fame. But now that she was engaged to Shin Keir, fame had practically become unavoidable anyway.
If she was going to get dragged into the spotlight regardless, then she might as well earn from it too.
"Alright, I'll let you know within three days. Is that okay?" Yeri asked.
Saeki immediately gave her an enthusiastic thumbs-up, looking as pleased as a businessman who had just spotted gold bars.
--
Back at the lounge, Calin was still seething with anger.
She tried calling Bryce again, but his phone remained unreachable.
Hadn't he already landed by now?
Which only meant one thing. That bastard was intentionally ignoring her calls.
A gentle knock sounded at the door before Marianne cautiously peeked her head inside.
"Calin, I don't mean to disturb you, but some important guests were looking for you."
"For what?" Calin nearly snapped.
Marianne stiffened immediately, sensing she had arrived at the worst possible moment.
"U-Uhm... I could tell them you're busy with an important call?" she suggested timidly.
Calin closed her eyes, forcing her rage back down her throat, though her chest still rose and fell heavily.
Looking at Marianne's blissfully unaware expression only irritated her further.
What is this bitch looking so smug about? Must be nice being a fool.
"I'm fine now. Let's go back," Calin said coldly as she walked past her.
Marianne quickly followed behind, trying to lighten the atmosphere with small talk, hoping to improve Calin's mood, but Calin's expression remained dark and malicious.
Come to think of it...
Marianne had overheard the conversation between her and Sergei about dealing with Allen. Knowing her brother's cowardly personality, Calin doubted the matter had truly been resolved.
And if Sergei and Marianne ever broke up someday...
Would Marianne tell someone what she overheard?
The more Calin thought about it, the more suffocating the feeling became. Constantly worrying about loose ends was exhausting.
She had already reached her limit. And if necessary, she would deal with it herself.
--
"Are you insane?! How the hell did you sneak in here?!" Hadi hissed.
Venice glared at him, though grievance and exhaustion lingered in her reddened eyes.
"If I didn't find a way to come here, would you even bother seeing me?"
Hadi dragged a hand through his hair in frustration before pulling her toward the fire escape staircase.
After making sure nobody was nearby, he lowered his voice sharply.
"I already told you I have a lot to deal with right now, didn't I? Serenity still hasn't unblocked my credit cards, and that bastard Shin is preventing me from returning to the company."
His expression darkened further. "And if this is about your father, unfortunately I can't help him. As for you, what exactly do you want?"
Venice bit her lip before speaking softly, her eyes turning red again.
"I just got into a car accident with my parents. To be exact... someone rammed their car into ours."
Hadi glanced at the cast on her arm and frowned, not out of concern but out of irritation.
"Yeri... Yeri told me about your past girlfriends," Venice continued shakily. "And I also told you before about the recording from my hospital ward... I think someone is targeting me."
"Are you saying it's me?" Hadi snapped instantly. "Venice, are you fucking insane?"
Venice quickly shook her head. "Not you... but maybe someone connected to you. Someone like Jade."
"Jade's already in prison. What nonsense are you talking about?"
"Don't you have other women?" Venice shot back bitterly. "Women you're still seeing? How many of us did you promise marriage to, Hadi Keir?"
For a moment, Hadi looked genuinely stunned. Then his face twisted in anger.
"If you already suspect I have other mistresses, then why are you still pestering me?" he snapped coldly. "If you want to break up, then let's break up."
"Hadi Keir!" Venice finally exploded. "Is it really that easy for you to discard me?! Do you even know what I sacrificed for you? For our relationship?"
Her voice cracked violently as tears streamed down her face.
"I gave up my studies just so I could carry your child! I got stabbed by your crazy woman, lost my baby, got bullied by netizens until my reputation was torn to pieces... and the best thing you can do is casually threaten me with a breakup?"
She shoved him hard in the chest. "Are you even human?!"
Hadi looked equally frustrated. He rubbed his face tiredly, stood in silence for a moment, then suddenly said:
"I got it... how much?"
Venice's sobbing abruptly stopped.
She stared at him intently, unsure if she had heard him correctly.
"Your miscarriage had nothing to do with me," Hadi continued coldly. "And in case you forgot, I was a victim too. I suffered worse because of you. Jade is just my unhinged ex-girlfriend, believe it or not. But Venice, you dropping out of school had nothing to do with me. Did I force you? When you decided to be with me, you already knew I was married. I didn't force you into that either."
Venice felt her mind go blank.
"And your ruined reputation?" Hadi scoffed lightly. "I wasn't the one who destroyed it."
The more she listened, the more speechless she became. It felt as though she was seeing him for the very first time.
The man she had desperately chased now looked unbearably unfamiliar, every word from his mouth colder than winter steel.
"I think you're blaming the wrong person here," Hadi continued impatiently. "But if you want compensation, fine. I'll give it to you. Consider it a breakup fee. After that, don't bother me anymore."
Venice's lips trembled violently. A chilling numbness spread through her body as disbelief swallowed her whole.
Seeing her remain silent, Hadi grew impatient and checked his watch. "Venice, I..."
"AHHHHH!"
A piercing scream suddenly echoed through the stairwell, followed by the horrifying sound of something heavy tumbling down the stairs.
The two froze instantly.
"W-What was that?" Venice whispered shakily, hurriedly wiping her tears.
Hadi motioned for her to stay quiet before cautiously descending several floors lower.
Then he stopped abruptly.
"Calin?"
Calin, who had been wearing a vicious expression just seconds earlier, flinched violently.
Her eyes widened as fear and panic instantly replaced the malice on her face.
Above the staircase stood Hadi, his gaze swinging back and forth between Calin and the woman sprawled unconscious below.
Blood slowly seeped from the woman's forehead as her limp body lay twisted near the bottom of the stairs.
"What happened?" Hadi rushed toward Calin immediately, grabbing her arms while frantically checking her over. "Are you alright?"
Calin shoved his hands away, her body trembled slightly as she stared at him sharply.
"You... since when were you here?"
Hadi's gaze flickered briefly upward, suddenly remembering Venice was still a few floors above.
"I was smoking nearby and heard screaming, so I came to check," he answered quickly. "Who's that woman? Did she try to hurt you?"