Shin satisfied, turned on his heel, leaving the room.
Let the "loving family" enjoy their little heartwarming moment.
That night, it was said that Hadi was so stimulated he became convinced someone was after his life.
He demanded the Keirs' elite security team guard him at all times, refused to let the lights be turned off, and insisted no one leave him alone.
By midnight, the entire VIP floor was in chaos, patients couldn't sleep, nurses were exasperated, and complaints piled up by the hour.
The next day, even taking advantage of the recent allegations about Shin being illegitimate didn't help Hadi. Despite his post implying that he'd been beaten by Shin, most netizens were skeptical.
After all, unlike Shin, who had a clean record and no scandals apart from his notorious dislike for women, Hadi was a walking archive of bad press.
His sudden accusation of Shin's "violence" only made things worse. It triggered the internet's collective instinct to dig up every skeleton he'd ever buried: photos with alleged mistresses, drunken bar rampages, videos of him yelling at traffic police, and even anonymous testimonies about workplace harassment.
Hadi had expected the hammer of online morality to strike Shin. Instead, it swung right back and flattened him.
Comments flooded in, ranging from mockery to public verdicts of divine retribution.
"If he were my brother, I'd beat him too."
"So that's the guy who always acts high and mighty? Figures."
"What did he do this time for Shin Keir to finally lose his patience?"
Some even claimed Hadi's outrage reeked of envy, jealousy that Shin had everything he didn't: respect, restraint, and power.
For the next coming days, Hadi endured a storm of public backlash while trapped in his hospital suite. His paranoia only worsened, completely convinced Shin had sent assassins after him, apart from twenty-four-hour security and accusing nurses of plotting to poison his meals, Elder Madam Keir endured his relentless calls.
---
When Yeri finally regained consciousness, a full day had passed.
Unbeknownst to her, Shin had quietly used his ability to restore her body, speeding her recovery.
Master Zhi looked utterly haggard, though relief softened his expression when her eyes opened. Beside her, Madam Zhi lay in another bed, her shoulder bandaged with a sling but otherwise fine.
"Princess, how are you feeling? Are you hungry?" Madam Zhi asked gently.
Yeri's throat was dry. Master Zhi helped her sip a glass of water before she croaked, "Dad… what happened?"
Master Zhi sighed and explained everything that had happened after she'd fainted, including how Shin had helped stop the police from detaining him.
Yeri frowned, frustration tightening her features. "Why did you say it was you? There's surveillance footage in the hallway it wouldn't have been hard to prove it wasn't either of you. What about Lucia?"
"She's still unstable," he admitted. "The police couldn't get a proper statement from her."
"Dad," Yeri said, her voice thinning with disbelief. "Didn't I tell you about my phone? It was recording the whole time, it's proof I acted in self-defense."
Master Zhi hesitated, guilt flickering across his face.
At the time, all he'd cared about was shielding her from suspicion. When she'd mentioned the recording, he'd assumed it was evidence that could incriminate her. Without even watching it, he'd deleted the video.
"I deleted it," he said reassuringly. "Don't worry they won't suspect you."
Yeri stared at him in disbelief.
"Princess," Madam Zhi said softly, "even if it was self-defense, once it goes public people will twist it. Your father and I are old so this kind of scandal won't affect us, but you…" Her eyes glistened. "We can't let that happen to you."
Just then, Jj entered the room, having rushed back and forth from school since hearing the news.
"You look terrible," he said, though his tone was tender. "How are you feeling?"
"Great," Yeri replied wryly. In truth, she felt more frustrated than weak. That deleted recording had been her leverage, but it seems no matter how she reasoned with her parents, they would never allow her to expose the truth.
"Do you have any idea who was behind this?" Jj asked, brows furrowed. "The police said that man was some mafia hunting dog, a veteran at that. That's serious."
Yeri hesitated, not wanting them to worry she answered lightly, "He wasn't after me. He was after that woman, Lucia. I was just… collateral."
Both her parents froze. Before they could press further, a pair of police officers entered the room, clearly tracking her recovery.
"Apologies, Miss Zhi," the detective said politely. "We'd like to ask you a few questions, if you're feeling up to it."
"My daughter just woke up." Master Zhi protested, stepping in front of them. "Can't you let her rest? Do you have any idea how traumatic this has been for her?"
"Dad, it's okay…" Yeri tried, but Madam Zhi quickly cut her off.
"Officers, my daughter is still disoriented," she said firmly. "She doesn't remember anything clearly."
Yeri: "…"
"We won't take much of her time," the detective insisted. "This is an ongoing investigation. As the victim, surely you want the case resolved quickly?"
"Then come back later," Jj interrupted coolly. "She hasn't even eaten yet."
The detective's polite smile faltered. Sure enough, this was why he hated dealing with the rich, none of them ever believed the law applied to them.
Despite her parents' insistence, Yeri didn't want them shielding her this time. She had nothing to be afraid of nor anything to feel guilty about.
If anything, she found her own calm unnerving.
After all, she had remained mentally intact even when she and Shin were once chased by mercenaries after his life. Even after witnessing a lunatic shoot people at random and nearly die in an explosion herself, she still wasn't breaking down.
And now, having killed someone with her own hands didn't shake her.
Venice and Lucia's reactions after the incident were normal: immense fear, confusion, psychological trauma. But Yeri knew she wasn't like them.
Was she just… mentally strong? No. She could only attribute it to her memories of a past life and the certainty of who she once was.
"Mom, Dad, Brother Jj… it's okay," Yeri finally said, her voice steady. "Let them do their job."
Jj shot her a disapproving glance but held his tongue.
Madam Zhi sat tensely, while Master Zhi stood beside her bed like a lawyer ready to object at the slightest hint of accusation.
The detectives began their questioning, and Yeri calmly recounted how she came to know Lucia, something they could easily verify since it was publicly documented.
She told them about Lucia's visit, her confession of being forced to act against her will, and the people who had abducted and controlled her.
"So you're saying Miss Hera was the real target?" the detective asked.
Yeri nodded. "I believe so. I've been hospitalized here several times before. It's too much of a coincidence that he showed up only after Lucia arrived. He must have been following her."
The detective leaned forward. "If he was after Miss Hera, then why bring a syringe? It seems to me he intended to kill you, too."
Yeri's tone remained calm. "Maybe it was in case Lucia said something she shouldn't have. I just know he wanted us both dead after she asked for my help."
When the questioning reached who had fired the gun, Madam Zhi immediately interjected, her voice sharp with emotion.
"Why are you asking her that?! I already told you it was me! Can't you see my daughter is terrified?"
Master Zhi's hand tightened over Yeri's, silently warning her to stop talking.
The officers exchanged glances. Even if Yeri's face stayed composed, her pallor betrayed her exhaustion, and the dull ache in her back made her hands tremble slightly.
"Thank you, Miss Zhi," one of them finally said. "We'll reach out again for further clarification."
---
Outside the room, the two officers walked down the corridor.
"What do you think?" one asked.
"Her statement matches the hallway footage," the other replied. "That guy was tailing Lucia Hera. We should focus on her. But it's clear this is tied to Yeri Zhi too, the people who abducted Lucia ordered her to target and damage Yeri's reputation."
His partner nodded while flipping through his notes. "I agree. It looks like Lucia became an unwilling pawn in a larger scheme against Yeri Zhi."
He paused before adding, "And honestly, rich families like these always have enemies. She's the daughter of Zhi Corporation and Shin Keir's fiancée. It's not surprising someone's after her."
At the mention of Shin Keir's name, the other detective frowned.
"Speaking of Shin Keir… the fact that he has a fiancée isn't public knowledge, right? I can understand him hiding her for protection, but how did she become his fiancée in the first place?" He asked as they exited the elevator to the underground parking.
The first detective slowed, intrigued. "This might sound crazy, but what if Shin Keir's using her as a smokescreen? A decoy to lure his enemies or hide the real fiancée?"
His partner immediately glanced around, alarmed. "Don't say that out loud. Speculation like that could get you in trouble or worse."
They fell silent as they exited into the parking lot.
A few seconds later, from a dark corner of the corridor, a shadow detached itself from the wall and slipped the opposite way, quiet, watchful, and unseen.
---
Meanwhile, late that night, after the forensics team expedited the autopsy, the corpse of the dead man was quietly moved, under Hexion's special request to one of their underground laboratories.
A place distant, forgotten, and seemingly abandoned on the surface.
"Why'd they even want this guy's corpse?" one of the transporters muttered as he adjusted the stretcher. "I'll never understand how these mafia freaks operate. What do they even need a body for?"
His companion shot him a glare. "Shut up and do your job. I want to get out of this creepy hole as fast as possible."
But the other man kept muttering under his breath. "Maybe they'll use it to threaten their enemies… leverage or something. Or feed his organs to their hounds like in those movies…"
The first man didn't respond this time. He'd worked long enough under Hexion's shadow to know the rules: see nothing, hear nothing, say nothing and you might live to see another sunrise.
They quickly finished their task, leaving the body on a cold steel table under a flickering light.