Calin fared no better. After her hysterical outburst at the forum, critics branded her a shrew.
Many questioned why she was targeting Vanessa instead of simply breaking off her engagement with Bryce. Others pointed out that if she still had feelings for Shin Keir, then wasn't she emotionally cheating on Bryce as well?
Meanwhile, Bryce's company failed to achieve the success he had expected. This wasn't solely due to the incidents involving Vanessa or Yeri hacking his key project during the competition.
The revelation that he was Eleanor Keir's son had also shaken public perception.
A fresh wave of debate erupted online.
Some sympathized with Bryce, arguing that he didn't deserve to be sent abroad at such a young age. They called the Keir family heartless, insisting that his circumstances were not his fault, but his mother's.
Others countered that it was only natural. He wasn't truly a Keir, and if he had stayed, he would have lived under the constant shadow of comparison to the prodigy, Shin Keir.
At the same time, many began digging into past scandals involving Master Keir, Shin's mother, and Eleanor Keir, eager to uncover the truth behind the tangled history.
Amidst all this chaos, the drugging case filed by Lianna officially began.
---
"Sister-in-law!" Saeki called out, slowing his car as he spotted Lianna and Sean stepping out of their villa. "I mean ex-sister-in-law… are you two heading somewhere?"
"Young Master Jie," Lianna replied with a polite smile, "I have a lunch meeting with Yeri and CEO Keir to discuss matters related to the case. I thought I'd bring Sean along."
"Don't be so formal with me and my big brother," Saeki said with a grin. "Just call me Saeki or Brother Saeki. As for my brother, why not call him 'big brother' too?"
Lianna nodded lightly. "Only if you stop calling me sister-in-law. Lianna is fine."
Saeki shrugged, unconcerned. Then he noticed Sean staring intently at the back seat of his car.
With a knowing smile, he opened the door and lifted out a small toy poodle. "This is Lulu. Isn't she adorable? She's basically a fashion icon."
Sean hesitated for a moment, then, encouraged by Lianna, gently reached out to pet the fluffy dog.
"Mom… can we get a dog too?" he asked, eyes shining.
"If you'd like, I can let Lulu stay with you anytime," Saeki offered. "Or you can come visit me. We live in the same estate, so you're always welcome."
Before Lianna could refuse, unwilling to impose, Sean was already brimming with excitement.
"Lianna, Sean…"
Zahn suddenly appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, carrying several shopping bags.
"Look, Dad bought you new clothes and school supplies," he said, smiling as he turned to Sean. "Don't you need new coloring books?"
Lianna frowned, clearly not expecting his visit. "Aren't you supposed to be at work?"
Back then, even weekends or late nights hadn't been enough to bring him home. He was always "busy" buried in surgeries and endless schedules.
Now, however, Zahn seemed to misunderstand her question. His gaze shifted toward Saeki, a hint of displeasure surfacing.
"Yeah… not busy at work?" he said coldly.
Saeki blinked, glancing between them before pointing at himself. "Me?"
"I meant you, Zahn Neri," Lianna corrected flatly.
Zahn's expression darkened slightly. "Why? Am I disturbing you two?"
Lianna: "…"
"Not at all," Saeki replied, assuming Zahn was speaking to him. "I was actually on my way out and happened to see Lianna and Sean leaving as well."
"Lianna?" Zahn repeated, his displeasure deepening.
Since when had those two grown so close?
"Yeah, Lianna said I could call her that." Saeki shrugged, then turned to her. "If you'd like, I can drive you there. I don't think Big Brother and Sister-in-law would mind if I joined you for lunch."
"You'd have to ask them. That's not something I can decide on my own," Lianna answered calmly.
Saeki pulled out his phone and called Shin Keir.
"You two seem to get along quite well," Zahn remarked, his voice laced with meaning. "I remember you used to ignore Saeki and the others."
Lianna, who had been watching Sean run around playing with Lulu, frowned slightly. "He just happened to pass by. I can't exactly ignore him, can I? Besides, I wasn't really myself before. I didn't have the luxury of socializing."
Zahn paused, recalling her struggle with depression. Even so, he disliked how often Saeki seemed to appear around her.
"Saeki is like Tristan. Don't misunderstand him."
A flicker of irritation rose within Lianna. "What exactly do you mean by that?"
Zahn averted his gaze. "If you're going, I can take you both. Or you could have asked the driver."
"The driver is off today, and I'm still practicing how to drive," Lianna replied coolly. "Also, are you implying that I enjoy Saeki's attention? Or that I deliberately waited here for him to pass by?"
"You're calling him by his first name now?" Zahn said sarcastically.
"Oh, let me correct that, Brother Saeki. Is that better?" Lianna sneered.
"Yeah? What is it?" Saeki cut in, thinking she had called him. "By the way, Big Brother agreed to let me join. So, are we going now?"
"No. I'll be driving them there. You can go on your own," Zahn insisted.
Saeki blinked, puzzled. "I'm really surprised, Stone Face. Back then, I'd be lucky to see you once a month. Isn't the hospital busy these days?"
Lianna nearly laughed, her tone turning lightly sarcastic. "I'm surprised too. Just when you can finally focus on your career now that you no longer have household matters distracting you or random calls interrupting you, the hospital suddenly isn't busy?"
Zahn felt the sting in her words. He had always been cold toward her, always irritated when she reached out.
"Maybe it's because of the hospital's legal issues," Saeki added. "But aren't you handling those? Really, you don't have to feel like you're imposing. I can take Lianna and Sean with me."
Zahn fell silent.
Looking at Saeki's oblivious expression, completely unaware of the tension he had stirred, Zahn finally understood why Shin Keir would occasionally lose his temper with him.
Lianna said nothing more and simply told Sean to get into Saeki's car.
Zahn frowned and grabbed her arm, only to be met with her icy response.
"I don't think you understand, Zahn Neri. We're already divorced. While you have visitation rights with your son, you no longer have any authority over me nor do you get to tell me what to do. Actually, you never had that right from the very beginning. If my friendship with your friends bothers you, or if you think I'm crossing a line, that's your problem, not mine. Think whatever you want."
"Lianna, Sean is a smart child. I don't want him to think he's getting a new father… or for people to start gossiping about you."
Lianna paused, her gaze turning colder by the second.
Zahn immediately realized his mistake. That excuse was hollow at best. Beneath it lay something far less noble, jealousy.
"Yes, he is a smart child," Lianna replied icily. "He isn't judgmental, and he certainly doesn't harbor the kind of dirty thoughts you or others seem to have."
In the end, Lianna and Sean left with Saeki, while Zahn followed behind, like a storm that refused to disperse even after the sky had already cleared.
----
At the upscale hotel restaurant, a quiet lunch for three adults and a child somehow expanded into a lively table of five plus one fluffy, tail-wagging guest who clearly believed she was the main character.
"Sister Lianna, Sean!" Yeri greeted them warmly.
"Sister-in-law, I brought Lulu with me… Carpet's not with you?" Saeki said as he moved to sit, only for Zahn to swiftly claim the seat beside Lianna.
Saeki didn't mind and took the next chair, though both Yeri and Shin noticed the subtle territorial maneuver.
What exactly was going on with these three?
"Big Sister, can I sit next to you?" Sean asked Yeri.
"Of course!" Yeri beamed, patting the seat to her left. Shin was already seated on her right, leaving her perfectly sandwiched between fiancé and small sunshine.
"Not busy today?" Shin asked Zahn casually.
"Hahaha~ Big Brother, you're the third person to ask him that in just an hour," Saeki chimed in. "You're surprised too, right? Stone Face used to vanish into his hospital and research lab like a ghost, rarely seen, rarely heard."
"I took a leave," Zahn replied flatly, ignoring Saeki. Then, glancing at Shin, he added, "You don't mind me coming without notice, right?"
"It's just lunch," Shin said simply.
When the food arrived, Lianna and Sean ordered steak.
Zahn immediately took it upon himself to cut their portions with practiced ease, as if it were second nature.
Saeki, meanwhile, stared at his untouched crabs with the deep existential fatigue of a man betrayed by seafood.
"Can you peel my crabs too?" he asked Zahn lazily.
"Why don't you ask your dog?" Zahn shot back without missing a beat.
Saeki froze.
Then his eyes widened as if he had just witnessed a historical event.
"You- did you just make a joke?" he gasped, scanning the table wildly. "Did everyone hear that? Zahn Neri, the Stone Face, made a joke!"
Zahn: "…"
"You- who are you? Have you been possessed?" Saeki continued, clutching his chest in dramatic disbelief.
Yeri bit her lower lip to keep from laughing.
With Shin and Lianna both maintaining serious expressions, she briefly wondered if she was the only one entertained by Saeki's theatrical spiral.
"You're only eating salad?" Lianna asked, shifting the focus.
"I'm not that hungry… I had milk tea for brunch, if that counts," Yeri admitted.
In truth, wedding preparations had swallowed her whole. Between school and planning, even eating felt like an exhausting side quest she kept forgetting to complete.
Lianna noticed the faint shadows under her eyes and the slight sluggishness in her movements. "You look exhausted."
Yeri nodded. "There's just… so much to do."
Lianna's gaze flicked subtly between her and Shin.
"Are you pregnant?" Zahn suddenly asked.
Yeri choked.
The question dropped onto the table like a grenade with impeccable timing.
"Sister-in-law, you're pregnant?!" Saeki echoed, volume set to public announcement.
Shin merely frowned slightly, his gaze settling on Yeri with quiet intensity.
Yeri: "…"
"Aren't you going to explain why I've been tired lately?" she finally said, turning to Shin.
Saeki's eyes lit up with dangerous enlightenment. "No need, no need! We understand! We're all adults here just remember we still have Sean and Lulu present."
Yeri: ???