Then Shin spoke, his voice calm, yet carrying with it a quiet, cutting weight.
"Was my mother really the third party?" Shin's voice cut through the hall, calm yet edged with steel. "Or is it possible that someone, utterly despicable, succeeded in tearing apart two people deeply in love… by falsely claiming she was pregnant with his child, only for it to later be discovered that the child wasn't even his?"
A wave of gasps rippled through the crowd, whispers spreading like wildfire.
Wasn't this practically confirmation that Eleanor Keir had deceived Master Keir into marriage?
"Although," Shin continued, his tone almost conversational, "I'm actually curious… do you know who murdered my mother?"
"M-Murdered?!" someone blurted out.
The word detonated in the room.
An explosive secret, the kind that should have remained buried, now clawing its way into the light.
The media erupted into chaos, surging forward like a flock in disarray, shouting questions at Shin Keir.
If not for the wall of bodyguards shielding him, they would have swallowed him whole. Others frantically called their agencies, desperate to be the first to break the story.
Bryce's expression faltered.
That incident had happened years ago. Shin had only been eight at the time. There was no way he could remember… right?
Besides, Bryce reassured himself, there shouldn't be any evidence left. Technology back then wasn't nearly as advanced, and his mother had already handled everything cleanly.
At that moment, Yeri returned to the banquet, Tristan following behind her.
A faint unease settled in her chest. Something felt off. Her head spun slightly, a soft dizziness she couldn't quite place.
Shin spotted her immediately. Without sparing Bryce another glance, he strode forward, shrugging off his suit jacket and draping it gently over Yeri's shoulders.
"What happened to her?" Shin asked, his voice low.
Tristan only smiled.
"Is… the party over?" Yeri murmured, her voice dazed. "Sorry, I was…"
"Miss Zhi! Where have you been?"
"Bryce Gate suspects you hacked the screen system, what do you have to say?"
The media swarmed again, their questions sharp and relentless, though kept at bay by security.
Shin raised a hand, signaling the bodyguards.
A path opened instantly.
Without hesitation, he lifted Yeri into his arms and walked out.
"Who said CEO Keir only got engaged for business benefits?" one guest whispered. "Or that Miss Zhi was chosen just because she's good at programming? The way he looks at her… he's completely smitten."
"I'm honestly envious," another sighed. "I never thought I'd see this side of Shin Keir."
"…." Bryce forced himself to stay still, his jaw tightening.
He knew better than to push further. Clashing with Shin Keir now would only put him at a disadvantage.
Just as he turned to leave, the media redirected their frenzy toward him.
"Mr. Bryce! How did Shin Keir's mother die?"
"What did he mean when he said she was murdered?"
"Why would he ask you that?"
Bryce offered a nonchalant smile. "How would I know? I was only eleven when the Keir family sent me abroad."
"So your mother is Eleanor Keir, correct? What happened back then?"
"What caused her mental instability?"
"Did you know Master Keir isn't your biological father?"
Questions fired at him from all directions, but Bryce remained shielded by his bodyguards.
As he turned away, the smile on his face twisted into something darker, something unseen by the crowd.
Then his gaze landed on Tristan.
Completely unbothered. Even smiling deliberately, provocatively.
In that instant, Bryce understood the plan had failed.
But then, who took those photos of him and Vanessa?
----
At Shin's villa, Tristan calmly recounted the events of the night. However, he deliberately omitted one crucial detail: him lying on the same bed as Yeri.
He knew Shin far too well.
Even if Shin wouldn't blame Yeri, he would undoubtedly hold a grudge against him… and become utterly unreasonable about it.
"So," Shin's voice sliced through the room, cold and precise, "you were in the same room with Yeri?"
Tristan gave a casual shrug. "Fortunately, it was me. Otherwise…"
He didn't finish the sentence, but the implication hung heavily in the air.
With drugs that potent, any ordinary person would have lost control. Only someone like him could remain unaffected.
"I knew Bryce was planning something tonight," Tristan continued, his tone turning serious, "but I didn't expect him to target Yeri. If anything… I should apologize to Zahn for exposing his mother."
Earlier at the banquet, he had already noticed Madam Neri and Xavier Song slipping away. Suspicious, he had someone tracked them, and upon discovering the hidden camera, he entered their room through the balcony.
From the height of a skyscraper, it's something no normal human could ever accomplish.
Xavier Song could replay that moment a thousand times in his head and still never understand how someone managed to capture that footage.
"As for Bryce and Vanessa's photos…" Tristan added, glancing at Yeri, "they were on the USB I found in her purse."
Shin's gaze shifted to Yeri, holding up the small device between his fingers. "Where did you get this?"
For a moment, Yeri simply stared at it, her thoughts sluggish and tangled.
If she said Xian Song gave it to her… would Shin misunderstand?
"It fell out of your purse," Tristan interjected smoothly. "Sorry, I took a look at what was inside."
Yeri hesitated, then spoke slowly, piecing together her memory. "I remember talking to Calin in the restroom… I think she had something to do with me passing out."
At the time, Calin's expression hadn't changed at all. Yeri hadn't even noticed someone approaching from behind until everything went black.
"They were planning to frame us," Tristan said, turning to her. "Make it look like we were cheating on Shin. Vanessa approached me with the same intention."
Which was precisely why he felt no guilt exposing Madam Neri and Xavier Song.
They were all tangled in the same web anyway.
Not long after, Tristan stood to leave. "I need to talk to Zahn."
The room fell quieter once he was gone.
"You still haven't told me where you got this," Shin said, his gaze returning to Yeri.
Yeri exhaled softly. Even if she lied now, Shin would uncover the truth sooner or later. There was no point.
"…Xian Song gave it to me earlier at the banquet," she admitted. "I didn't even know what was on it."
As expected, Shin's expression darkened.
To him, Xian Song was like a lingering ghost, one that refused to stay buried no matter how many times it was exorcised.
"I don't think he has bad intentions," Yeri said carefully.
"I still don't like him," Shin replied bluntly.
Yeri blinked. "…Right."
Still, the question lingered, why would Xian Song hand over something that could so easily drag the Song family into chaos?
Before Shin could dwell further, his phone rang.
Saeki.
"Turn on the news," came the urgent voice on the other end. "Now."
Moments later, the screen lit up showing Vanessa, standing on the edge of a rooftop.
Threatening to jump.
----
Meanwhile, social media had erupted into absolute chaos.
What was meant to be a prestigious global economic forum had turned into a spectacle, no, a full-blown circus that would be remembered for decades.
Netizens had already renamed it:
The Scandal Forum.
Headlines flooded every platform:
"The Downfall of Noble Families"
"Elite Families Expose Each Other's Secrets"
The Keirs, the Neris, the Jie, the Song family, each name dragged through the mud as their secrets unraveled in public.
Some criticized Shin Keir for stooping low and engaging in open conflict.
Others defended him fiercely, pointing out that Bryce had thrown the first punch.
Then there were the scandals of Xavier Song and Madam Neri's affair. Bryce cheating on Calin.
The internet was feasting.
With so much chaos to dissect, no one even cared anymore about the previous rumors surrounding Yeri, whether she was a third party, or whether Shin had anything to do with the old matriarch's coma.
That was the nature of online storms.
A bigger scandal rises, and yesterday's outrage vanishes like smoke.
---
On a rooftop, under a restless sky, Vanessa stood at the edge.
The wind whipped through her hair, her figure trembling, her expression painted with tragedy so convincing it could stir pity in any passerby.
But not this time, not for her.
"What is this? Trying to farm sympathy?" one netizen commented. "Wasn't she just trying to harm Zahn Neri? And now she's involved with Bryce Gate? Disgusting! Calin was right, she's shameless!"
"Classic gold digger," another wrote. "Floating from one wealthy man to another. Xavier Song must've dumped her after seeing her true colors. Then she failed with Zahn Neri and thought Tristan Felan would be easy? The Jie family better watch out for her."
"Is no one going to talk about how Calin acted tonight?"
That comment barely lasted seconds before being torn apart.
"She got cheated on, you idiot! Of course she reacted!"
"Calin had every right, did you even see how shocked she was?"
Bryce didn't escape the storm either.
"Bryce Gate, you cheating bastard! How dare you betray our goddess!"
"I thought Calin found true love, turns out he's worse than Shin Keir!"
"Did Calin even date Shin Keir? Stop spreading nonsense! Saeki Jie already said they never dated and I trust my prince!"
Vanessa's eyes were hollow as she stared into the open air, as if the world beneath her no longer existed.
Earlier, she had received a call, her father had disowned her.
Even if she remarried Xavier one day, her reputation among the elite was already in tatters, shredded beyond repair, like silk dragged through thorns.
Below the building, a crowd had gathered, onlookers, police, and medical staff who had just arrived.
Phones were raised, some recording, some livestreaming.
Ironically, the very building she stood atop… was the Ricci Group's headquarters.
Comments online continued to surge like a tidal wave:
"Lmao, Vanessa tried to seduce all those big shots and failed miserably. Should've taken lessons from Yeri."
"If you're going to jump, then jump! Stop embarrassing yourself and setting a bad example! Women like you should be purged before you ruin others!"