Then Madam Neri shrieked.
"It was you, wasn't it?!" she screamed, lunging forward and grabbing Vanessa by the hair. "You followed us and planted a camera somewhere!"
Vanessa, being younger, reacted quickly and shoved Madam Neri away.
But with her reputation already shattered, it was as if Madam Neri had drawn strength from sheer fury. She lunged again, and soon the two were tangled together, grappling and struggling across the floor.
Within moments, they were rolling in a chaotic mess of limbs and fury.
Meanwhile, Xavier stood frozen, his mind struggling to catch up.
Just moments ago, he had been wrapped in silk sheets with Madam Neri, coaxing her to finalize the transfer of assets. Then came the pounding on the door, followed by a call from his father's assistant.
And now, everything had collapsed.
The truth he had buried, the reality he never thought would see the light of day, had been exposed in front of the most influential people in the city.
Xavier couldn't accept it.
After all… who would willingly admit to being involved with an old woman?
Seeing that they were beginning to attract attention, Xavier felt a surge of embarrassment at being seen alongside two women brawling.
He quickly slipped into the banquet hall, only to find another commotion unfolding inside, with security rushing about in urgency.
Just as he moved to investigate, a few guests began to recognize him.
Murmurs spread like ripples, and before long, members of the media swarmed in, blocking his path and firing questions at him.
"Xavier Song, what is your relationship with Madam Neri?"
"Where were you just now?"
"Saeki Jie mentioned earlier that he's known for quite some time that you're dating Madam Neri. What's your response to that?"
Xavier forced himself to appear nonchalant.
According to one of his men, someone had played an obscene video of him and Madam Neri.
Only he knew the truth: it had been live.
As for how that person managed to enter the room without him noticing, that remained a mystery for now.
"Xavier!" Master Song spotted him and hurried over, urging him to explain to the crowd that he had been framed.
Just as Xavier was about to speak, Madam Neri crawled out of nowhere, disheveled and distressed.
She collapsed at his feet, clutching his leg as she cried miserably, accusing him of allowing Vanessa to bully her.
"I-is that really Madam Neri?! What happened to her?" someone exclaimed.
"Why is she clinging to Xavier Song?"
"Madam Neri, please have some self-respect!" Master Song pointed at her, looking as though he might erupt at any second.
It wasn't as if he had been unaware of their relationship, but how could such a scandal be exposed publicly and tarnish the family's reputation?
Moreover, as a politician, this could bury not only his career but his future.
"What do you mean? Can't you see I'm injured?" Madam Neri snapped back, her voice filled with grievance.
She had never appeared in such a pitiful state before.
With her sudden appearance, the media descended upon her like a pack of wolves, leaving father and son no room to intervene.
"Madam Neri, was the video of you and Xavier real?"
"Were you two together just now?"
Xavier helped her up, his gesture carefully neutral, as if he were merely assisting an elder.
But perhaps Madam Neri had been holding back for far too long. Believing what she shared with Xavier was true love, she lifted her chin and declared with conviction, "Is it really so shocking for me to date someone younger? Older men date younger women all the time without criticism. Why can't older women do the same? What kind of double standard is this? I've long been widowed, and Xavier is a single man. What's wrong with us being in a relationship?"
Xavier: "…"
Master Song: "…"
Everyone: "…"
Well, there it was. The truth, laid bare without hesitation.
No one had expected Madam Neri to be so direct, and for a brief moment, the crowd stood stunned.
Then, like a storm breaking, the media erupted into a frenzy, pressing her for more details.
Xavier could only stammer incoherently, but no one paid him any attention.
Overwhelmed, Master Song collapsed on the spot.
After all, who could have imagined that his future daughter-in-law would be from his own generation… in fact, even a year older?
---
Meanwhile, Vanessa, who had been attempting to slip away from the chaos, was spotted and immediately cornered by the media.
She covered her face, trying desperately to fix her disheveled appearance.
But the media's sharp eyes had already connected the dots.
"You're Vanessa, right? Are you involved with Bryce Gate behind his fiancée, Calin? Who seduced whom first?"
"Someone saw you and Madam Neri fighting. Why did you two get into a fight? Is it because of what you did to her son, Zahn Neri?"
Vanessa tried to escape, but without a bodyguard or anyone to shield her, it was impossible.
From a distance, Calin who had been dragged away by her brother's security after her earlier hysterics, caught sight of Vanessa.
Without a word, she broke free and stormed forward, delivering a sharp slap across Vanessa's face.
"Damn it!" Sergei cursed.
No matter how much he despised his sister, she was still a Ricci. If she disgraced herself, it would inevitably drag him down with her.
"I treated you well, and you dared to seduce my fiancé? Do you have no shame? No sense of decency or conscience?" Calin demanded, her expression a perfect portrait of heartbreak.
The media instantly seized the moment, cameras flashing as they bombarded her with questions, asking whether she believed the photos.
"She doesn't know what's going on. She's just agitated. Any woman would react the same in her position. Please stop making things worse for her," Sergei interjected, attempting to pull Calin away.
But Calin shook him off, her voice rising like a fire fed with gasoline.
"Let me tell you something. Not only did this woman scheme against Zahn Neri, she also tried to seduce Tristan Felan. When that failed, she went after my fiancé. If she's not a slut, then what is she? A whore!"
A stunned silence rippled through the crowd.
No one had expected such venom from Calin, her words slicing through the air without restraint.
Only Sergei knew the truth. Calin had always been like this, especially when things slipped beyond her control.
The issue with Yeri had been tolerable, perhaps because nothing official had existed between her and Shin Keir.
But Bryce was different. Their engagement was public, a symbol stamped for all to see. For him to cheat and worse, with someone Calin didn't even consider a rival was humiliation sharpened into a blade.
And Calin had always been fiercely possessive. Whether she truly wanted something or not was irrelevant. If it was hers, no one else could take it unless she chose to discard it herself.
Vanessa, who had remained silent until now, finally lifted her head.
A cold, mocking smile curved her lips as she looked at Calin.
"I seduced your fiancé? Is that what he told you?" she said, her voice dripping with disdain. "You think he's some kind of upright, honorable man? Then I pity you. That man is a beast beneath his polished businessman façade. He was the one who forced himself on me."
Everyone: "!!!"
Shock detonated through the crowd.
Calin froze for a split second. No matter how much she loathed Bryce, she couldn't allow his reputation to collapse entirely.
If it did, she would be the one ridiculed for choosing such a man.
"Force?" she scoffed, quickly recovering. "Who would believe your lies? Just tonight, you were desperately trying to please Tristan Felan. And now someone who takes advantage of a drunk man claims she was forced? How ironic. Did Xavier Song force you to marry him too?"
"What? Xavier Song? What do you mean?" a reporter immediately latched onto the name, eyes gleaming.
Vanessa flinched, the realization hitting too late. She had provoked the wrong person.
But Calin had no intention of stopping. With ruthless precision, she dropped the final bomb.
"Vanessa is Xavier Song's ex-wife."
The revelation spread through the crowd like wildfire, instantly reframing everything: the earlier fight with Madam Neri, the tangled relationships, the hidden grudges.
A dangerous thought surfaced among the onlookers.
Could it be… that Vanessa was trying to get back together with Xavier Song?
---
On the other hand, Security and bodyguards from both sides quickly intervened, separating Shin Keir and Bryce Gate, though not before Bryce was left bleeding from the mouth and forehead.
Secretary Yun rushed to Shin Keir's side, scolding Bryce's people for their utter lack of respect and decorum at such an event.
Bryce, however, only laughed, the sound unhinged, his eyes blazing with fury.
"I may not carry the Keir blood," he spat, "but you and your mother are parasites who destroyed a marriage. My mother's condition is proof of your parents' sins. I didn't know being illegitimate was something to be proud of nowadays."
A murmur rippled through the crowd, swelling into a chorus of judgment.
"Bryce Gate is four or five years older than Shin Keir. There's no denying it, Shin Keir's mother must have been the third party," someone said.
Agreement came quickly.
The self-appointed judges of morality found their footing, eager to tip the scales in Bryce's favor, until another voice cut through, threading doubt into their certainty.
"Even if Shin's mother was the homewrecker, if Bryce has no blood relation to the Keirs… doesn't that mean Madam Keir cheated on Master Keir?"
That gave them pause.
"Young Master Keir only mentioned Bryce being a 'Keir.' We can't be sure who his parents actually are," another added, frowning.
Then a well-dressed madam leaned closer to her companion, her voice lowered but sharp enough to travel.
"Didn't you hear Bryce mention his mother's mental state? Who else, apart from Eleanor Keir, is known to be unstable?"
"I attended the engagement banquet," someone else chimed in. "Madam Keir seemed extremely attached to Shin Keir. She even got into a scuffle with Madam Ricci."
Speculation twisted and coiled, no longer a straight line but a tangled web.
Amid the shifting tides, Shin Keir simply smiled, subtle, almost indulgent.
Bryce was still playing the same old tune, trying to bend the crowd with emotion, hoping outrage would do the work truth could not.