Upon hearing the details of the case, both of the Zhi couple were visibly stunned.
However, Klaus did not immediately step forward to help Venice. After all, he was not in a position to make decisions on behalf of others so casually, he wasn't her father.
Meanwhile, Linda and Nolan continued arguing until both of them were practically exhausted.
Nolan had initially been displeased, thinking his older brother was unnecessarily meddling in their family affairs.
But the moment he heard they needed ten thousand dollars just to bail Venice out, his expression changed instantly.
As for Linda, her wailing echoed through the station like a banshee being denied stage rights.
In the end, the Zhi couple still helped pay Venice's bail temporarily and even arranged for a lawyer to assist with the case.
Since the investigation was still ongoing, there was not much concrete evidence beyond the statements given by Hadi and Calin.
Moreover, Venice herself had one arm in a cast, making the accusation somewhat questionable. It was difficult for many people to believe she could have forcefully pushed Marianne Vega under those conditions.
"Klaus, you have to assign the best lawyer for Venice. I know my daughter didn't do it!" Linda rambled nonstop. "She doesn't even know that woman, so why would she push her? And if necessary, maybe you can ask Shin Keir for help too! Tell him his fiancée's cousin is being framed. If this gets out, it won't look good for Yeri's image either!"
Madam Zhi shot Linda a cold glare, clearly disgusted by her shamelessness.
Still, she ultimately swallowed her words. Arguing with Linda felt like throwing pearls into a volcano.
After reminding Nolan that everything beyond the bail money would now be his responsibility, the Zhi couple finally left.
The moment they were gone, Nolan's resentment exploded.
"You and your daughter really know how to invite disaster!" he muttered bitterly. "Damn it, how unlucky am I to get stuck with two walking jinxes?"
"Nolan Zhi, you hypocrite! You only know how to bully people weaker than you. Are you even still a man?" she shouted furiously. "Bah! If I could go back twenty years, I'd stay far away from a scumbag like you. Go ahead and blame us. That's all you know how to do anyway! You asked whether I looked in the mirror before leaving the house? Well, I can say the same thing to you. Even that brat Jj is better than you!"
Another explosive round of arguing erupted instantly.
They fought all the way back in the car and continued the moment they arrived home, their voices crashing against each other.
Oddly enough, throughout the entire ordeal, Venice remained silent. As though none of it had anything to do with her anymore.
The moment they arrived home, she walked straight to her room without a word, her expression unreadable.
For a long time, Venice simply sat in front of the mirror motionlessly. Her eyes were hollow and numb, like a porcelain doll abandoned in a dusty display case.
It was only when her phone vibrated nonstop that she slowly snapped back to reality.
Absentmindedly, she clicked one of the notifications.
The incident at Calin's engagement banquet had completely exploded online. Every major news outlet, gossip account, livestream clip, and social media feed was flooded with discussions about it.
Venice watched the recorded livestream with the same disbelief as everyone else. The more articles she read and the more comments she scrolled through, the more she realized this was not fabricated gossip.
After a long silence, Venice suddenly laughed, a genuine laugh.
How ironic. Karma had struck Calin far faster and far crueler than she had ever imagined.
This was far worse than any revenge Venice had once planned in her own head.
At first, she still carried traces of hesitation and fear, but now, with Calin's downfall unfolding before the entire world, Venice no longer hesitated.
Slowly, she raised her gaze toward her reflection in the mirror.
Her complexion was naturally pale from exhaustion, and her swollen eyes looked pitiful. Combined with her fragile appearance and broken expression, she looked exactly like a tragic victim abandoned by the world.
After making a few preparations, Venice opened her livestream.
At first, only a handful of viewers entered the stream, most of them mocking her and cursing her for being a mistress.
But Venice merely lowered her head as tears streamed down her face.
She looked reckless, wronged and broken.
Choking back sobs, she began explaining how Hadi had deceived her and taken advantage of her innocence.
She repeatedly apologized to the public, insisting she had been manipulated from the very beginning.
"It's not that I willingly wanted to become someone's mistress," Venice cried miserably. "He lied to me… he told me he was already in the middle of divorcing his wife…"
Then, with trembling hands, Venice revealed screenshots of their conversations to the livestream audience.
She talked about the circumstances that made Hadi appear suspicious and how she had absolutely no idea Jade even existed.
With Venice revealing chat screenshots of Hadi's manipulative and scumbag pickup lines, the kind commonly used by playboys to string women along, as well as Hadi insisting Jade was merely an ex-girlfriend, netizens who sympathized with Venice gradually began appearing.
Seeing the number of viewers rapidly increasing, Venice went on to talk about how she met Calin at the hospital and how the latter subtly insinuated that Yeri was the reason her relationship with Shin Keir had grown distant.
Venice completely tore Calin apart while painting herself as the victim who had nearly harmed her own cousin, Yeri, after believing an outsider like Calin.
Most importantly, she naturally did not forget to recount her terrifying ordeal that night and how she was currently being framed by both Hadi and Calin.
With Calin's controversy already the most explosive topic at present, Venice's sudden confession and shocking case did not take long to go viral, adding fuel to the countless scandals and atrocities already tied to Calin's name.
---
Meanwhile, Yeri went to the hospital with Shin after he insisted she get an X-ray for her ankle.
After expediting the process, the doctor confirmed it was only a mild swelling and that she merely needed a cold compress.
"I told you it wasn't that bad," Yeri said to Shin.
"You're so delicate that even a sprain could be fatal in your case," Shin replied.
Yeri glared at him. "What do you mean by that? Don't tell me you're already regretting getting engaged to a sickly person like me?"
Shin gave her an amused look. How did she even arrive at that conclusion?
"Is she sick again?" Zahn suddenly appeared and asked.
Yeri frowned before turning stunned in disbelief.
Zahn Neri looked like he had lost a significant amount of weight, his complexion carrying a sickly pallor.
If he were not wearing a white coat, anyone would have mistaken him for a patient rather than a doctor.
"No, just a sprained ankle," Shin replied with a shrug.
Zahn nodded before leaving almost immediately.
Yeri's gaze followed his retreating figure as she asked curiously, "What's wrong with Doctor Neri?"
"Living with the consequences of his actions," Shin said nonchalantly.
Yeri "...."
Come to think of it, she had not spoken much with Lianna lately, though the last time they talked, Lianna seemed to be doing well with her musical studies.
As the two left the hospital, Yeri could not help but ask, "What happened today... you arranged it, didn't you?"
Shin remained expressionless, but the ruthlessness in his eyes was unmistakable.
"Those two harmed you again and again, especially that woman," he said coldly. "Did you really think I'd turn a blind eye?"
Looking at his reassuring and dependable demeanor, Yeri could not help but feel her heart beat faster.
So this was what it felt like to be held carefully in someone's palms?
No wonder so many women were obsessed with this man. Having someone you could rely on so completely felt dangerously comforting.
"Allen's family are already preparing to sue her, and possibly others she assaulted as well. It just took some time because of Bryce Gate," Shin explained.
The crimes tied to Bryce were simply too massive, layered like a mountain hiding countless tunnels beneath it. They had to proceed carefully while gathering evidence and coordinating with people overseas.
One wrong move could have easily triggered Bryce's suspicion, which was why Shin had allowed Calin Ricci to continue running around freely for a while.
Hearing about the complicated and dangerous process everyone had gone through to dismantle Bryce's intricate illegal businesses, Yeri finally understood why Shin had ignored all the accusations and rumors online about his past relationship with Calin, along with the countless ridiculous articles written about him.
The car slowly parked in front of the Zhi Manor, and Yeri asked, "Are you sure you don't want to come in first?"
Shin's phone had already been vibrating incessantly despite being set to silent mode.
He teasingly pinched her nose and asked, "And what exactly are we going to do once I come in?"
Yeri looked at him as though he were some shameless pervert.
Shin chuckled before leaning over to kiss her gently.
There were still many matters he needed to settle regarding Bryce's case, so he could not stay long before having to leave again.
After getting out of the car, Yeri waved goodbye before slowly walking inside with the help of a cane.
The reason she chose to return home was because she wanted to know what was happening with Venice.
Just as Shin's car disappeared into the distance and Yeri was about to close the gate, someone suddenly emerged from the corner and called out, "Yeri, coming home late?"
Yeri paused warily, but she soon recognized the person.
"Brother Book? What are you doing here?"
Xian smiled, his hands tucked casually into his pockets.
Yeri glanced toward the direction he had come from before asking in surprise, "Don't tell me you moved back into the house where you used to live with your grandpa?"
"It took some time to buy it back, but yeah, I moved in last week," Xian explained. "The place has changed a lot, and there are still plenty of renovations going on."
His gaze then landed on her cane and slightly raised foot. Almost instantly, his expression darkened.