'That cockroach was ages ago,' Yeri thought. 'He really knows how to hold a grudge.'
Without Carpet acting as a third wheel, Shin's presence felt overwhelmingly sharp with just the two of them alone.
She gave him a once-over and only then realized he wasn't wearing his usual suit.
"You didn't go to work today?"
"Had other things to take care of," Shin replied with a smile. Then he suddenly yanked her back. "Why are you moving away? Do I smell?"
Yeri gasped as her hands instinctively landed on his chest when she slammed into him.
"Why are you pulling me like that? Afraid you didn't threaten to break my bones enough?"
Shin released her arm, apparently realizing he might have used too much force, but his hand slid naturally around her waist instead. "Want to bite my lips again?"
Yeri: "…"
She glanced at his mouth. The cut from before was gone, but that didn't mean it hadn't left enough crumbs for gossip to feast on.
She just ignored it, but aside from the Marco and Tiffany scandal, she'd also seen netizens gossiping about 'What's wrong with Shin Keir's lower lip?'
After all, he was someone who could make headlines simply by standing still in a crowd.
"Are you tired of people only talking about your business deals," Yeri asked, "so now you want your share of controversy?"
Shin smirked. "What's wrong with showing off my fiancée's love bite?"
Like hell that was a love bite, Yeri rolled her eyes.
If she remembered correctly, he'd grabbed her head without so much as a warning.
Before she could retort, she felt something brush against her thigh as her eyes dropped to his hand.
"I have my menstruation!" she blurted, leaping to her feet.
Shin raised an eyebrow and calmly held up a strand of hair. "It's on your thigh. Got a problem with hair fall?"
Realizing what she had assumed, Yeri felt her face heat up instantly.
"Ah…" was all she managed.
Shin chuckled, clearly enjoying himself.
Yeri shot him a glare and darted straight to her room.
It wasn't that she didn't want to. She really did have that time of the month.
How could she not want to? That would be an absolute disgrace to her succubus bloodline-
She froze just as she closed the door.
Succubus? Why had that thought popped into her head of all things?
Something flickered briefly in her mind and then vanished before she could grasp it.
Frustrated, Yeri flopped onto her bed face-first.
She hated this vague sense of forgetfulness. No matter how hard she searched her mind, she couldn't grasp what she was missing.
Could it be dementia or something equally terrifying?
Wait- Yeri sprang up and rushed to her wardrobe, rummaging through her clothes.
Since he couldn't do anything to her, then it was her turn to tease him.
"Hmph. I'll make you live in the shower tonight," she muttered under her breath as her fingers closed around the mini black dress she had worn the day they first met.
Not long after, she strutted out of her room.
"..."
The living room was empty.
Her brows knit together. She marched down the hallway and slammed open the door to his room.
Empty.
Did he sense danger and flee?
A slow, wicked curve appeared at the corner of her lips as she checked the study next.
Still nothing.
Growing confused, she passed by the kitchen and spotted the nanny preparing dinner.
"Nanny," Yeri asked, "have you seen Brother Shin?"
The nanny glanced at her outfit, and smiled knowingly. "I just saw him leave after answering a call. Are you heading out too? Dinner's almost ready."
"…."
With an indignant stomp of her foot, she turned around and trudged back to her room to change.
---
Calin had just parked her car when she heard her brother's voice echoing through the house.
Frowning, she stepped inside and snapped the moment she saw him, "Why are you so loud? Don't you know I could hear you from a mile away?"
Sergei glanced at her, his frustration deepening, but instead of responding, he continued arguing with their father.
"What do you mean you can't do anything about it?" Sergei demanded. "Do you even realize what will happen if he becomes the largest shareholder? Even now, he's already making demands without any regard for my position!"
Master Ricci sat in his wheelchair, half his body paralyzed, his expression dark and heavy.
"Bryce won't go too far," he said tiredly. "He's only doing what he believes is right as Calin's fiancé."
Sergei didn't bother hiding his disdain as he shot Calin a look of pure irritation.
Indeed, when the Ricci Group had been on the brink of collapse, Bryce's timely intervention had stabilized everything. But unlike the Keirs, who had simply injected funds without meddling in operations, Bryce was different.
Just this week, artisans who had barely joined the company were already placed in high-ranking positions, severely affecting employee morale.
More importantly, Bryce was heavily investing in sustainable, low-cost lab-grown diamonds.
While the move made sense from a business perspective, it directly threatened the authenticity of Ricci Jewelry, a brand built on tradition, craftsmanship, and high-quality natural gems.
"Brother, what exactly are you dissatisfied with?" Calin scowled. "Or are you unhappy because I saved the company while you couldn't do anything?"
"What did you just say?" Sergei's voice shot up several decibels.
"Enough," Madam Ricci hurriedly interjected. "Let's eat first."
But Sergei was far from finished.
"Is money really all you care about?" he snapped. "Have you ever stopped to think where Bryce's money comes from? He runs businesses overseas, but Calin, do you actually know what kind of businesses they are?"
He turned on her sharply. "Even if they're under a so-called mafia organization, don't forget this isn't some lawless underworld syndicate. There are complex regulations governing capital flow. If the funds entering our company come from questionable sources, what do you think will happen to us?"
Madam Ricci knew nothing about business, but even she understood the implication as anxiety crept across her face.
Calin, however, merely rolled her eyes.
"If it were dirty money, he'd have been investigated the moment he stepped into the country. Why are you so paranoid about him? Outsiders may not know, but we do. He used to be a Keir. Groomed from childhood to be a heir, if not for that incident. Naturally, his business acumen can't be inferior to Brother Shin."
Sergei stared at her as if she were hopelessly foolish.
Without another word, he grabbed the documents he'd brought earlier and stormed out, ignoring his mother's calls for him to stay for dinner.
"What's wrong with him?" Calin scoffed. "Isn't he just resentful that I stepped in to save the company while he remained useless?"
"Calin," Master Ricci warned, "watch your words. Do not insult your brother."
She shot him a fierce glare. "You always favor him. Tell me, in your eyes, am I your daughter or just a tool to be traded? When the company was in trouble, the first thing you thought of was marrying me off. Now that I've found someone who can actually solve the problem, I'm still wrong?"
Master Ricci's face darkened, his authority clearly challenged. "What's wrong with a father finding a husband for his daughter? After years of upbringing and careful cultivation, you've learned nothing? You unfilial child!"
"You were the one who couldn't even make Brother Shin agree to marry me!" Calin fired back. "Instead, you wanted to match me with people like Tristan Felan, a man with a heart scattered across the world. Do you want me to become a laughingstock, fighting his women year after year?"
Master Ricci looked at her with deep disappointment. "How have we treated you all these years? Spoiled you, indulged you, let you act without restraint. Don't think I'm unaware that Sergei has been cleaning up your messes for years. Yet you can't even make one sacrifice?"
"Sacrifice?" Calin laughed bitterly. "Why should I sacrifice anything? If you truly loved me, you wouldn't even think like that. Anyway, I already have Brother Bryce. What are you all still whining for?"
She turned sharply and stormed to her room, slamming the door so hard the walls trembled.
"That ungrateful brat!" Master Ricci slammed his fist against the armrest of his wheelchair.
"Why do you always take Sergei's side?" Madam Ricci snapped. "If it weren't for Calin, wouldn't the company still be on the brink of bankruptcy?"
"Shut up woman," Master Ricci barked. "What do you know? This is all because you spoiled her too much. She's grown increasingly unruly, to the point of openly disrespecting me. Once she's married, she'll forget the parents who raised her."
Madam Ricci scoffed. "I think you're just afraid she'll abandon you now that you're paralyzed. Don't forget, the money for your treatment is being paid by my future son-in-law."
Fury surged through Master Ricci. He grabbed a nearby ornament and hurled it at her. "Who are you calling paralyzed?!"
Madam Ricci dodged it easily.
Smirking, she turned and headed toward Calin's room.
With her husband paralyzed, she no longer needed to worry about what kind of woman he might encounter outside.
To put it plainly, she considered his current condition a blessing in disguise.
---
In Calin's room, Madam Ricci found her daughter seated before the vanity mirror, the lights casting a soft, flattering glow over her face.
"You've been gone for a month," Madam Ricci said, her voice laced with complaint and worry. "Do you know your mother is the one who worries about you the most?"
Calin didn't answer. She tilted her head slightly, scrutinizing her reflection.
"I had a minor procedure done on my nose and lips," she said casually, lips curving into a smile. "What do you think, Mom? Do I look prettier now?"
"Again?" Madam Ricci stepped closer. "Didn't you have your nose adjusted two years ago? Or was that your jaw?"
Calin's expression soured. "Just tell me if it's better than before, does it look obvious?"
Madam Ricci shook her head, immediately switching to reassurance. "My daughter has always been beautiful. It looks very natural. People won't even notice the difference."
"You mean I look exactly the same as before?" Calin frowned, rummaging through her neatly arranged skincare products. "Where's my cleanser?"
"That's not what I meant," Madam Ricci quickly corrected. "I mean your surgeon is very skilled. He made the changes subtle."
As Calin turned back to the mirror, her phone on the vanity lit up briefly.
Madam Ricci's gaze caught on the screen. A photo of a young woman lingered there, bright-eyed and effortlessly delicate.