"Madam Neri?" Yeri muttered in disbelief. Her mind went blank as she stared at the chat records between Lianna's father and Madam Neri.
"Didn't I tell you?" Saeki said, clearly pleased with her reaction. "It's absolutely mind-blowing. I had the same expression when I first saw the evidence. Anyway, the two of them planned the drugging from the very beginning, with today's technology, it's easy to hack accounts and use someone else's identity to make a purchase."
He clicked his tongue. "Good thing Lianna's father was a paranoid man. He kept records of everything, probably in case he needed leverage one day or feared the other party might betray him. Otherwise, the truth of what really happened back then would have stayed buried forever."
Yeri felt completely stunned.
Was Madam Neri involved simply because she wanted to destroy her son's impression of Lianna?
And yet, despite all that scheming, she still failed. Her son had married Lianna anyway.
Saeki stood up and pulled out a USB drive. He opened his laptop and sat down beside Yeri.
"I managed to obtain the surveillance footage from that night. I already had professionals analyze it, but let's watch it again. See if you notice anything else."
That was the scene Shin Keir walked into.
Two heads bent close together, both so absorbed that they did not even notice his arrival.
With his hands in his pockets, Shin stood behind the sofa, watching silently. On the screen, Saeki was explaining something frame by frame while Yeri listened intently. In her arms sat a strange dog he did not recognize.
Saeki leaned closer, almost brushing Yeri's head.
With a dark expression, Shin reached out and smacked him on the back of the head.
"Who dares hit this young master?!" Saeki jumped up instantly, ready to retaliate.
The moment he saw Shin, his expression changed.
"Big bro! What was that for? Do you really need to hit me just to show you missed me? I told you before, it's unnecessary. You already have my undivided attention at all times."
"Shut up," Shin said flatly. "What are you two doing?"
Yeri was still absorbed in the investigation, her expression filled with amazement as she looked at Saeki.
"Brother Saeki uncovered the truth behind Doctor Neri's drugging incident."
Shin merely glanced at the laptop before turning to Saeki. "I see you have a lot of free time."
Saeki lifted his chin proudly, grinning from ear to ear.
"It's just a hobby. And Sister-in-law happened to be interested in this matter, so I thought, why not look into it?"
Shin "..."
Yeri cleared her throat.
Somehow, it really did sound like they were nosy spectators digging into other people's private lives.
"I just don't believe Sister Lianna is the kind of person who would resort to such despicable means to marry someone," Yeri said quietly.
Saeki immediately handed the file to Shin Keir, as if presenting an offering. His mouth was already moving, excitedly explaining every detail, afraid Shin might miss even a single piece of the truth.
Shin suddenly felt the urge to beat Saeki senseless, if not for Yeri being there.
Irritated, he still skimmed through the documents.
A heavy silence followed. Shin sat between the two, then closed the file.
Both Yeri and Saeki stared at him expectantly, their eyes gleaming, clearly waiting for his brilliant mind to teach them mortals.
"So?" Saeki asked eagerly, rubbing his hands. "What do you think, Big Bro?"
Shin folded the file calmly and smacked it against Saeki's face.
"Keep your distance."
Saeki looked wronged for a split second, then quickly recovered. He leaned back across from them.
"Zahn's mother is something else, but the most despicable one here is Lianna's father. Even if he remarried long ago, Lianna is still his daughter."
Shin's expression remained unchanged. He did not want Yeri dragged into the Neri family's mess.
What annoyed him even more was how well these two were getting along.
A hobby? This was clearly Saeki Jie being a bad influence on Yeri.
And if she truly wanted to help Lianna investigate this matter, why had she not come to him instead?
"Do you think there's more to it than Madam Neri simply not wanting them to end up together?" Yeri tugged lightly on his sleeve. "It feels contradictory, like that wasn't her real intention."
Before Shin could answer, Saeki cut in.
"Wait, Big Bro. I just noticed something. What's wrong with your lower lip?"
Yeri, who pretended not to notice anything at all "…"
Shin glanced at her, the corner of his lips lifting slightly.
"Ohhh, so that's how it is!" Saeki exclaimed, immediately catching on.
He gave a thumbs-up and nodded enthusiastically. "Sister-in-law, you're the light that pierces the tunnel, the flower blooming in barren land, the wild river-"
"Can we not stray from the topic?" Yeri interrupted, fighting the heat creeping up her ears. What was he even talking about?
She shot Shin an annoyed look.
He showed no intention of stopping Saeki this time, unlike earlier, which only irritated her more.
Did he deliberately leave that cut on his lip untreated? Why was it taking so long to fade?
"Right, right," Saeki said hurriedly. "Then should we send this information to the Neri couple?"
Shin fell silent for a moment.
"Rather than Madam Neri conspiring to stop the two from being together," Shin said slowly, "it's the opposite. She intended for Lianna Neri to become her daughter-in-law from the very beginning. But her prejudice and need for control would never allow Lianna to enter the Neri household with her dignity intact. Lianna had to be dragged in covered in mud."
Both Yeri and Saeki froze.
Saeki was the first to object. "How could that be? Madam Neri cares deeply about the Neri family's reputation. If she accepted Lianna as her daughter-in-law, how would it benefit the family to have someone with such a bad reputation?"
Shin scoffed inwardly.
Reputation?
A hypocrite like Madam Neri had never truly cared about reputation at all.
Among the three families, the Neri family appeared the most seamless on the surface. Yet that was only because the depths of its conspiracies, dirt, and hidden lies had long been fermenting underground.
If anything, Saeki's investigation merely confirmed how intricate Madam Neri's schemes were, years of careful plotting woven layer by layer.
It was true that she disliked Lianna as her son's partner, but she also understood that Lianna was the perfect chess piece.
Madam Neri had long been conspiring with the Song family. Her marriage into the Neri family itself had been nothing more than a strategic alliance.
To keep her schemes hidden in the shadows, she needed a daughter-in-law who would not interfere, who would not pry, and who would show no interest whatsoever in the affairs of the Neri Group.
Lianna fit that role perfectly.
At the same time, Madam Neri needed leverage to control her. That was why she resorted to such despicable methods.
By destroying Lianna's reputation, she not only bound her with guilt and shame but also successfully built a wall between the couple.
Things only worked further in her favor when Zahn Neri went abroad, leaving the company entirely in her hands.
However, this was not something Shin could say openly yet. Saeki would have to hear the details directly from Zahn Neri himself.
"You can give this information to Lianna," Shin said simply, ignoring Saeki's dissatisfied muttering.
Yeri agreed with a nod. "Sister Lianna deserves to know the truth."
Saeki was clearly unwilling, but before he could argue further, Shin unceremoniously kicked him out.
It was only when Yeri noticed a small lump wriggling beneath a sofa pillow that she realized the toy poodle had been left behind.
"Brother Saeki said Lulu could stay here for the time being," Yeri muttered as she sent Saeki a message.
Shin stared at the dog with poorly concealed hostility.
Another competitor for his wifey's attention.
"Don't you think that dog needs a haircut?"
Yeri failed to catch the implication and simply shook her head.
"She looks fine to me. Besides, I can't just take her for a haircut without Brother Saeki's permission."
"A military cut would be perfect," Shin said calmly.
Yeri stared at him. "?"
---
The next morning, when Yeri woke up, the toy poodle was nowhere to be found.
It was only after asking the nanny that she learned Saeki Jie had come early to retrieve his dog, muttering anxiously that he had to save Lulu before she lost her title as a fashion icon.
Yeri was left speechless and confused.
On the way to school, her phone rang with a call from Venice.
What bad luck so early in the morning. Or was Venice simply calling to vent her pregnancy mood swings?
Yeri answered the call with a blank expression.
"Yeri?"
"What is it?" Yeri asked flatly.
Venice let out a light laugh. "Don't be unhappy yet. I'm just calling to wish you good morning."
What a lunatic, Yeri thought.
"If you're that bored, why don't you spend this time bonding with your newly found younger brother? While you're at it, take the chance to learn how to raise a child. After all, you'll have one of your own soon."
There was a brief silence on the other end, followed by Venice's irritated voice.
"Yeri, are you a rabid dog? Why are you being so snide?"
Yeri could almost picture Venice gritting her teeth. But really, who told her to come seeking her attention?
"Venice, we both know our relationship isn't good enough for polite morning greetings," Yeri said bluntly. "If there's nothing important, I'm hanging up."
"Wait!" Venice clicked her tongue, then finally revealed her purpose. "It's nothing major. Just letting you know Dad called for an emergency meeting today. There's going to be a change in leadership soon. Zhi Corporation will finally have a new CEO."
Yeri "..."
Something heavy settled in Yeri's chest.
She only realized the call had already ended when the silence on the line stretched too long.