Meanwhile, inside the building, the atmosphere was just as volatile.
If Sergei could kill someone, he might have already pushed Calin off the roof himself just to have her accompany Vanessa to hell.
"Didn't I warn you not to act impulsively?!" Sergei roared. "Look at what you've done! If that woman really jumps, people will think our company is cursed!"
He had rushed over the moment he heard the news, fury radiating off him like heat from a furnace.
Madam Ricci immediately stepped in front of Calin, shielding her. "She was hurt! How can you blame your own sister?"
Sergei let out a harsh laugh.
"What did I tell you about Bryce Gate?" he snapped. "Wasn't it humiliating enough that she got cheated on? Now people are saying she couldn't get Shin Keir, so she settled for someone still tied to the Keir family! What does that imply?"
His voice sharpened further.
"And did she have to behave so uncultured to attack Vanessa in public?"
"Do you like her?" Calin suddenly screamed. "You've been defending her since earlier!"
Sergei dragged a hand down his face, frustration mounting. Years of etiquette training, of social refinement and this was the result?
"Where is Bryce?" Madam Ricci cut in, her tone tense. "Why hasn't he come out to clarify anything?"
As if summoned by the chaos, Xavier Song rushed in, only to be immediately grabbed by the collar.
"Control your woman!" Sergei barked. "Of all places, she chose here to cause trouble? If she wants to jump, tell her to do it at your family's building, you bastard!"
Xavier's temper snapped just as quickly.
"And who told your sister to publicly announce that Vanessa is my ex-wife?" he shot back. "She's already been humiliated enough, what, is she trying to get her killed with all this online abuse?!"
In the corner, Calin froze mid-sob then suddenly lunged forward, her nails raked across Xavier's face.
"It's my fault?!" she screamed. "This wasn't even the plan! I can't believe I was working with a snake! She failed her task, and on top of that, she's been sleeping with my fiancé! Xavier, maybe you can tolerate being cheated on but I can't!"
Xavier's jaw clenched. He had just rushed over from the hospital, his father had fainted and now this.
Vanessa threatening to jump. Bryce nowhere to be seen. The entire situation spiraling out of control.
Of course he was furious. He hadn't even known about Bryce and Vanessa.
But right now, that wasn't the priority.
"Let her jump!" Calin shouted hysterically. "If she's lost her mind, have you thought about what happens if she confesses everything?!"
"Calin Ricci, shut up for me!" Sergei thundered.
But Calin only laughed, her gaze still locked onto Xavier.
"If I were you, I'd just marry that old hag Neri. At least you'd get her assets," she sneered. "Vanessa? She's been sneaking around behind our backs. Loyalty means nothing to her, she only cares about herself."
In the end, Xavier went to the rooftop.
The wind howled, tugging at clothes and hair as if urging everything closer to the edge.
Police officers were already there, trying to talk Vanessa down. A small crowd lingered nearby, some pretending concern, others blatantly filming.
At the sight of Xavier, Vanessa seemed to snap back to reality.
Tears spilled down her cheeks as she shook, her voice trembling.
"It… it was an accident, what happened with Bryce… it wasn't intentional… At the time, he was drunk," she continued, her words breaking apart. "He mistook me for Calin…"
A ripple of shock spread both on the rooftop and across the livestreams.
Xavier raised his hands slightly, his voice steady. "Alright. I believe you. Just come down first… and we'll talk, okay?"
But Vanessa shook her head.
"He wasn't himself," she insisted. "He kept saying… that I wasn't in his heart at all… that I hadn't forgotten Shin Keir…"
Another wave of shock crashed through the public.
Did Bryce really mistake Vanessa for Calin?
And if that were true… Did it mean Calin had never moved on from Shin Keir?
Inside the CEO office, Calin's triumphant expression froze.
That bitch… was actually shifting the blame onto her?
She lunged toward the door, but it didn't budge.
Sergei had already ordered his men to lock it.
----
Madam Neri quickly followed Xavier, worried he might have a change of heart with Vanessa playing the victim.
When she saw him showing concern for his ex-wife and about to reach out to her, Madam Neri hurried forward and clung to Xavier's arm.
The onlookers began whispering among themselves. After all, it wasn't every day one witnessed such a discordant pair.
Although Madam Neri appeared far younger than her actual age and carried herself with the elegance of a renowned socialite, the situation still sent chills through the crowd.
"What are you up to this time?" she snapped. "Isn't it enough that you've caused everyone so much trouble? Now that your schemes are exposed, you want Xavier to pity you?"
Xavier nudged her slightly, signaling her to stop. "Not now."
But Madam Neri paid him no mind. The more concern Xavier showed toward Vanessa, the more unsettled she became.
"The two of you are already divorced," she continued sharply. "What are you doing here talking her down? Let the police or her family handle this. What do you mean by coming here yourself?"
Vanessa sobbed helplessly. Just as she seemed ready to step back, she suddenly moved closer to the edge, drawing gasps from the crowd.
"I'm sorry, Brother Xavier… please don't trouble yourself anymore," Vanessa said between sobs.
Madam Neri, furious, launched into another tirade.
"Of course… how could we go against you?" Vanessa replied with a self-deprecating smile. "Someone of your status… even Brother Xavier has to be careful not to offend you. You're right, we're already divorced. You got what you wanted, so can't you stop making life harder for us… especially for Brother Xavier?"
Her words landed like another bomb, laced with hidden meaning.
First, there was Calin's emotional cheating with Bryce Gate… and now this, was Madam Neri the reason behind Xavier and Vanessa's divorce?
Madam Neri froze for a moment, then recovered, pointing at Vanessa with a sneer.
"I caused your divorce? Do you realize I could sue you for defamation?" she shot back. "You two were already divorced when Xavier courted me. I didn't even know he had been married, let alone that it was you! I treated you well, thinking you were just his employee. Yet you couldn't even give me the decency of telling me the truth and now you're twisting everything? Is your heart so black that instead of admitting your faults, you're determined to ruin others? Vanessa, aren't you afraid of being struck by lightning?"
Xavier closed his eyes, as though trapped between a rock and a hard place.
"Go back first," he said quietly. "This isn't the place to discuss these things."
"Either you tell everyone the truth," Madam Neri threatened, "or I'll take this liar to court."
"No need," Vanessa said softly. "Who would believe someone like me anyway? But if my death could make everyone feel better… and lead to the truth being uncovered… then I don't mind dying."
She gave a sorrowful smile, mouthing for Xavier to take care of himself.
Before anyone could react, she jumped.
Screams erupted as she fell from the rooftop.
Xavier's legs gave out, and he collapsed to his knees like a puppet with its strings cut.
Even Madam Neri had never expected Vanessa to go that far.
Moments later, someone below shouted, "She's been caught! There's an inflatable, she's alive!"
Madam Neri blinked in disbelief and rushed forward to look.
Below, flashing ambulance lights surrounded a growing crowd.
"Xavier, she's fine!" she said, shaking him. "That scheming vixen fooled us. She must have known the police had already set up a barrier and an inflatable, she was just buying time."
"…"
Seeing that he still hadn't reacted, Madam Neri continued criticizing Vanessa, only to suddenly feel a sharp sting across her cheek.
She froze, touching her face in shock. "You… you slapped me?"
"…"
"You slapped me because of that woman?" she repeated, disbelief turning into anger. "Do you still have feelings for her? Were you that devastated, thinking she had really died? Is that it?"
Xavier swallowed hard. Everything had unfolded too quickly, like falling dominoes. Combined with Madam Neri's relentless words, he had lost control.
Madam Neri burst into tears, accusing him repeatedly, while he stood there silently, allowing her to hit him as the crowd watched the unfolding drama.
Meanwhile, in the CEO's office, Calin had already smashed everything within reach, hysterical, while her mother wept helplessly in the corner.
Sergei ordered someone to knock Calin out and take her home.
At the very least, he had received confirmation that Vanessa was alive and immediately rushed to the hospital.
"Make sure everyone leaves my building and lock it down," he ordered coldly before departing to deal with the aftermath.
---
The drama continued for days, with different versions of the story spreading from all sides.
Even Vanessa, whom everyone believed could never make a comeback, began gaining supporters.
Some argued that she had been the most misunderstood all along, perhaps even the true victim. After all, she was the least influential among them and had no real backing against figures like Calin Ricci, Bryce Gate, and Madam Neri.
In the face of wealth and power, the advantage almost always belonged to the rich.
Madam Neri quickly became the embodiment of a status-abusing elite, the kind people loved to hate. Rumors spread that she had long set her sights on the much younger Xavier and had deliberately driven Vanessa away.
It didn't help that she had already been linked to the drugging case involving her former daughter-in-law, as well as the lawsuits surrounding Neri Medical Hospital.
Xavier wasn't spared either. He was criticized for failing to protect his wife, while whispers circulated that he had never truly loved Vanessa, that he had only been drawn to Madam Neri's wealth. Some even went as far as to label him a gigolo.
Worse still, the obscene footage of him and Madam Neri at the economic forum began circulating on underground networks.
Cruel netizens flooded the comments daily, asking how it felt "consuming something long past its expiration date."