Not long after the farce began unfolding, the Zhi couple received a frantic phone call from Venice’s parents.

"What happened?" Jj asked immediately.

Madam Zhi frowned worriedly after ending the call.

"That girl Venice got herself into trouble again. I don’t know the exact details yet, but Linda was crying hysterically. It sounds very serious this time."

Father Zhi checked his watch before speaking decisively. "You two stay here. Your mother and I will leave first."

Yeri quietly lowered her gaze.

She had no idea what Venice had done this time, but seeing her parents’ worried expressions, she knew there was no way she could stop them from going. So in the end, she remained silent.

--

Sergei finally found Natalia chatting with Allen’s parents, only to hear about Marianne’s accident moments later.

Left with no choice, he hurried off. After all, he was still Marianne’s boyfriend, and it would look terrible if he showed not even an ounce of concern.

However, the moment he heard the details from one of the staff members who had responded to the scene, his expression darkened. Without wasting another second, he stormed off to find Calin.

He found her crying in the lounge while Hadi comforted her nearby.

"What happened?" Sergei demanded, grabbing Calin by the arm, his eyes blazing with anger and suspicion.

"What are you doing?" Hadi tried to intervene, but Sergei refused to let go of her.

"It’s nothing. Marianne just fell down the stairs..."

Before Calin could finish, Sergei slammed his fist against the wall behind her. Rage twisted across his face.

"Sergei Ricci, she’s your sister! Why are you getting angry before even hearing her out first?" Hadi shouted furiously as he shoved him away from Calin.

Sergei let out a mocking laugh, staring at Hadi as though the man were a complete clown.

How could Marianne suddenly get into an accident? Fall down the stairs? She was a doctor who spent most of her days rushing through hospital corridors under pressure. Not to mention, she hadn’t even been wearing high heels.

"Hadi Keir, stop trying to imitate Shin Keir every second of the day. You’re a married man so eager to play knight for someone who isn’t your wife. Do you think that makes you heroic? It just makes you a scumbag," Sergei snarled.

Hadi was furious, but for Calin’s sake, he forced himself to hold back, settling for glaring daggers at Sergei instead.

At those words, Calin immediately snapped out of her pretense.

Venice had already been taken away by the police. If anyone saw her alone in a room with Hadi, rumors would spread instantly.

Sergei shot Calin one last furious glare before turning and leaving for the hospital where Marianne had been taken.

"What’s his problem? Is he even your brother?" Hadi muttered bitterly.

Calin quickly composed herself, brushing invisible dust off her dress. "Brother Hadi, thank you, but my brother is right. Besides, I’ve already been away from my own engagement party for too long. I don’t want the guests to worry. I’ll fix my makeup and head back soon. You should return first."

Hadi looked at her with undisguised infatuation, clearly reluctant to leave.

"Calin..."

"Don’t," Calin interrupted gently, forcing out a soft smile. "You’re already married. This isn’t right."

Hadi frowned, frustration flashing across his face. "Bryce... I don’t think he truly cares about you."

Calin nearly rolled her eyes in annoyance.

If not for the fact that he had helped her earlier and still needed to be pacified, she would have already lashed out at him for being shameless.

Whether Bryce cared or not, he was still a thousand times better than Hadi.

In the end, Hadi reluctantly left, leaving Calin alone in the lounge. She immediately called for the makeup artist, who arrived shortly after to touch up her appearance.

Outside, the guests stirred as Bryce finally arrived in an impeccable white suit. Though exhaustion lingered beneath the makeup covering his face, he still greeted the guests with practiced elegance.

"He finally arrived. I thought he’d show up in a helicopter too."

"It’s been more than two hours already... I heard his company’s been having problems lately." 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

One of the guests he was speaking to responded with a shrug. "Well, it’s understandable if he’s prioritizing business. At least he wasn’t late because of another woman."

Bryce had already begun mingling with influential guests, smoothly steering every conversation toward business.

Rather than an engagement banquet, it looked more like a high-level investor networking event as he used the occasion to approach potential partners and secure opportunities.

When Calin finally returned to the banquet hall, she looked as though the earlier incident had never happened at all.

"Brother Bryce," Calin called coquettishly as she slipped her arm around his.

Bryce immediately smiled at her as though she were the most beautiful woman in the world.

"My love, forgive this workaholic fiancé of yours for being late," he said smoothly. "Later, you can do anything you want to me."

The guests burst into laughter and playful teasing at Bryce’s shameless joke.

Everyone silently understood not to mention Calin’s earlier excuse for Bryce’s absence.

Calin pretended to pout in annoyance. "Well, you all heard what he said. You’d better brace yourselves for later."

Bryce grinned meaningfully before leaning down to kiss her cheek, earning another wave of laughter from the crowd as they eagerly joined the banter.

As the banquet continued, Calin leaned closer and whispered something into Bryce’s ear.

Bryce glanced at his watch before nodding subtly and signaling the host nearby.

The host quickly handed him the microphone.

Bryce gave a brief speech, thanking everyone for attending such an important moment in his and Calin’s lives.

Then, just as the applause faded, a figure slowly emerged behind the couple, causing several guests to gasp in shock.

Bryce smiled warmly as he reached out and held the person’s hand.

"I know there have been many rumors and all kinds of discussions surrounding my mother," Bryce began, his voice calm yet heavy with emotion. "To be honest, I was also deeply shocked and filled with remorse over her current condition. Since leaving the country at the age of eleven, I hadn’t seen her again apart from occasional phone calls and emails until I finally returned this year."

He turned toward her, his expression softening. "Mom, this unfilial son of yours is finally back... and tonight is my engagement banquet."

Madam Keir’s blank gaze slowly swept across the crowd before settling on Bryce, then shifting toward Calin.

For a brief moment, she stared at Calin so intensely that Calin unconsciously took a step back.

’This lunatic isn’t going to attack me again, is she?’

Bryce continued speaking, his tone growing heavier with guilt and self-reproach as he talked about his struggles abroad and his regret for not being beside his mother through whatever hardships she had endured.

"No one could feel more devastated than realizing your own mother no longer recognizes you," Bryce said bitterly. "To be honest... she firmly believes Shin is her biological son."

The atmosphere instantly shifted.

Many of the older madams in the audience immediately turned emotional, some even dabbing at the corners of their eyes with tissues, deeply moved by Bryce’s vulnerable confession.

"But I don’t really mind, as long as Shin treats her well. I mean, technically... isn’t she his mother too?" Bryce said with a helpless shrug before turning toward Madam Keir. "Mom, you’re always looking for Shin, but unfortunately, he isn’t here tonight. You also haven’t had the chance to meet his fiancée yet, right?"

Madam Keir tilted her head slightly. The moment she heard Shin’s name again, her dull eyes instantly brightened.

"Shin... where is he? Where’s my son?" she asked anxiously.

"Auntie," Calin said gently as she stepped closer, "Shin’s fiancée is here too."

"Fiancée?" Madam Keir muttered blankly.

"Yes, Mom," Bryce continued warmly. "Yeri is here to celebrate with us tonight as well."

The moment her name was mentioned, Yeri felt her scalp tingle.

These two really wouldn’t leave her alone.

Ever since earlier, Calin had been deliberately dragging both her and her family into the spotlight. Thankfully, her parents had already left before the reporters asking for exclusive interviews could surround them again.

And now, they wanted Madam Keir to deal with her. Knowing full well the woman was mentally unstable.

The guests immediately began turning toward Yeri as Calin called her out publicly.

"It’s fine. I’ll go with you," Jj said quietly beside her.

Yeri’s expression tightened as she slowly walked toward the stage.

"Auntie, this is Yeri Zhi, Brother Shin’s fiancée," Calin introduced softly, her eyes gleaming with eager anticipation. "I’m not sure if you remember, but you were present at Brother Shin’s engagement banquet before. It’s just a pity you mistakenly thought I was his fiancée."

Madam Keir slowly followed Calin’s gaze and saw a young woman standing below the stage in a simple beige dress.

"..."

Yeri stopped in front of the stage but made no move to climb up.

"There’s no need to take up everyone’s precious time for this," Yeri said calmly. "I don’t want others to think I’m being entitled. Brother Shin can arrange a proper gathering with his family and relatives another time."

Calin’s smile widened. "Yeri, it’s okay. There’s no need to be so polite, I don’t consider you an outsider. Or... are you avoiding Madam Keir? Even if she’s like this, she’ll still be your mother-in-law in the future."

Sure enough, the atmosphere immediately shifted.

The guests began whispering among themselves as countless gazes landed on Yeri.

"So she hasn’t even taken the initiative to meet Madam Keir since getting engaged to Shin Keir? No matter what, Madam Keir is still Shin Keir’s stepmother and the legal Madam of the Keir family."

"Look at her expression. I can’t tell if she’s disgusted or afraid. She’s not even willing to step onto the stage."

"Tsk. It seems Madam Keir will have a difficult daughter-in-law in the future. She’s already showing attitude before even marrying into the family."

"But didn’t Bryce and Shin argue during the economic forum? Maybe Shin doesn’t actually get along with Madam Keir as much as people think. This situation is hard to judge."

As the murmurs spread like ripples through water, Madam Keir’s attention remained fixed solely on Yeri, her eyes studied her intensely.

"Shin’s fiancée... Shin has a fiancée... my son..." she muttered repeatedly.

Then Calin leaned closer and whispered in a voice only Madam Keir could hear.

"That’s right. She’s the woman trying to steal Brother Shin away from you. That’s why he hasn’t visited you all this time."