The lawyer then looked directly at Calin, his expression remaining professional, but his words cutting deep like a knife.
"She could understand losing to someone wealthier. She could understand losing to someone more powerful. She could even understand losing to someone more accomplished."
He paused.
"But to her, Yeri Zhi was none of those things."
Calin finally shed whatever remained of her pretense and shrieked hysterically, suddenly lunging toward the lawyer.
"You damn dog! Who do you think you are to say things about me?! Who allowed you to make assumptions about me?!"
Police officers hurried forward to restrain her as she continued screaming and struggling against them.
"Are you implying that I'm jealous of Yeri Zhi? Hahaha! Why should I be?! You said so yourself, she's beneath me!"
Then her eyes darted toward Yeri.
"What are you so smug about?! You are where you are now because of Shin Keir! If one day he gets tired of you, you'll have nothing!"
Calin laughed hysterically.
"Hahaha! If I were you, I wouldn't rely too much on a man's affection, especially someone like Shin Keir! You know how he is! He can treat you like you're his entire world, but he can also treat you worse than an enemy once those feelings fade!"
The officers wheeled her toward the side door, but Calin's voice continued echoing through the courtroom even as she was taken away.
Yeri "..."
Calin's lawyer immediately attempted to explain her behavior.
"My client is under an immense amount of psychological pressure. She's currently taking medication, and the stress of this hearing has clearly affected her judgment."
The judge gave him a stern look before concluding the hearing for that day.
The hearing was adjourned and the moment the courtroom doors opened, reporters surged forward.
Security immediately formed a barrier around Shin and Yeri, but the sheer number of reporters made it difficult for them to move.
"CEO Keir, please answer a few questions! Was Yeri Zhi pregnant?"
"Were you covering up her miscarriage and keeping it secret from the Keir family?"
"What were you doing in the Arctic? Did Miss Zhi contact you beforehand?"
"Tell us about Xati Keir! Who is his mother?"
"CEO Keir, is Xati your son?"
"Miss Zhi, did you really lose a child?"
The questions became increasingly provocative but neither Shin nor Yeri answered.
Shin wrapped an arm around Yeri and practically carried her through the crowd as their security team pushed the reporters back.
Eventually, they made it into the waiting car.
Only then did Shin glance at Yeri.
Her hair was slightly disheveled from being jostled by the crowd.
He chuckled. "You okay?"
Yeri ran her fingers through her hair like a makeshift comb and nodded.
"I don't even need to check online to know if I'm trending again."
Shin helped smooth her hair back into place.
"That might be the case, but you won't be the one nailed to the pillar of shame."
Yeri blinked, pulled out her phone and checked it.
There were several missed calls from her parents, her brother, and a few friends asking whether she was okay.
As for social media... The most trending topic was Calin's scandalous relationships.
The names of the famous men linked to her were spreading rapidly, and the fans of those celebrities had already begun doxxing her and hurling every imaginable curse at Calin Ricci for supposedly "staining" their idols.
"Don't worry about the examination at another hospital," Shin added. "I'll arrange everything, obviously."
Of course, there was nothing for her to worry about. She had never been pregnant.
Yeri merely shrugged and looked out the window.
Behind them were several cars, most likely paparazzi who had followed them from the courthouse.
"Are there paparazzi in the demon realm?"
The question came so randomly that Shin turned toward her, amused.
"There are trials in court, but they're not nearly as complicated as those in the human realm. Besides, demons don't chase rumors the way humans do. Most are far more interested in cultivating their abilities and increasing their strength."
Yeri lowered her gaze.
Another part of the demon realm that wasn't included in her memories: Her mind was completely blank when it came to how demon society actually functioned.
Since learning from Xati that Shin Keir was the Demon Emperor, the same demon who had supposedly caused her death in her previous life, her mind had been in constant turmoil.
These past few months had been a blur, and the case against Calin wasn't even her main concern.
She had attended her graduation almost in a daze.
She had appeared at several social gatherings, smiling and responding when necessary, but barely remembering what anyone had said afterward.
She spoke with her parents mechanically.
She prepared for her wedding while feeling as though she were being swept along by a river she couldn't see the end of.
And all the while, one thought kept returning.
She don't know what to do.
There were moments when she wanted to delay the wedding.
Moments when she wanted to back out.
Moments when she wanted to confront Shin directly about the past.
She wanted answers.
She wanted to know what really happened.
Why had he caused her death?
Yet every time she gathered enough courage to confront him, something stopped her.
Perhaps fear.
Perhaps doubt.
Perhaps the terrifying possibility that the truth would be even worse than what she already believed.
In the end, she still couldn't make up her mind.
And now, with her wedding approaching, the clock was ticking louder than ever.
---
Later that night, at an upscale bar, a commotion broke out in one of the VIP rooms.
Allen immediately grabbed Daniel by the collar the moment he arrived, his teeth gritted as he demanded, "You slept with Calin back then?!"
Daniel was stunned, but before he could speak, Allen continued, "I was following the case, and among the men involved with her, there was one piece of evidence... that surveillance footage... that room..."
Saeki, who was also there, swung his gaze between the two. Under normal circumstances, he would've already inserted himself into the situation, but even he was too shocked to react.
"Allen, what nonsense are you on about? Daniel was never one of Calin's past," Zoren defended as he stepped between them. "Look, you and Calin have long been over—"
"This isn't about me being unable to let go of her," Allen cut him off, his gaze never leaving Daniel. "You slept with her while I was still dating her."
"It was a mistake," Daniel finally admitted.
Both Zoren and Saeki turned to him, completely dumbfounded.
Meanwhile, Tristan, who had been drinking to the side, raised an eyebrow.
Daniel rubbed his face, looking regretful and guilty.
Although Shin never included Daniel's name, perhaps because he was a friend and, technically, he had never dated Calin, there had been one piece of footage among the evidence exposing Calin's promiscuous private life.
It showed her entering a hotel room during the time they had all been on a group vacation.
Allen must have figured it out.
"I'm sorry, but I was really drunk. I didn't even know it was her," Daniel explained. "She was the one who entered my hotel room. You have no idea how mortified I was when I woke up the next day!"
"And you couldn't be bothered to tell me? Perhaps you never intended to?" Allen said bitterly.
"Daniel, we're all friends here. What is wrong with you?" Saeki finally spoke up.
Daniel glared at him before sighing deeply.
"Tell you what? Allen, in case you've forgotten, you were so infatuated with Calin Ricci back then that you acted like someone had stepped on your tail whenever anyone bad-mouthed her. If I'd told you at the time and she played the victim, whose side do you think you would've taken?"
Allen fell silent.
"Should I have told you she was bad news? Told you that I was drunk while she thought I was Shin Keir?"
Everyone was stunned.
Even Daniel himself looked momentarily shocked by his own admission.
"What about Shin Keir?" Allen asked.
Daniel hesitated for a moment before admitting, "That's what she blurted out when she realized the person she had just slept with wasn't who she expected. Don't you all remember? Shin and I changed rooms later that night."
Everyone "..."
"He said his room was too noisy," Tristan recalled.
Daniel immediately nodded. "It was facing the beachfront, but I really didn't hear any noise. Anyway, I offered to change rooms, and he agreed."
Ordinary humans might not have been able to hear the noise from the higher floors, but Shin Keir was different. Even though he hadn't awakened at the time, his enhanced senses had already allowed him to hear things.
"Anyway, I'm sorry I didn't tell you back then. I mean, I tried, but before I knew it, you two had already broken up, so I assumed it wasn't necessary anymore," Daniel said apologetically. "Besides, I wasn't about to let you marry a woman like that. If you two had ended up engaged, I would've told you about it."
Allen let out a wry smile before sitting down in defeat, burying his face in his hands.
He hated that he had wasted so much time on someone like Calin. He hated that he had invested so much of his feelings in her.
But more than anything, he hated himself for being such a blind fool.
No wonder Shin Keir had gotten angry when he said he was considering not pursuing the case against Calin.
He was far too easy to sway.
"Big bro is really a good person. He didn't implicate you," Saeki said to Daniel. "But he exposed that married actor. In case you guys don't know, he's currently in a long divorce battle with his wife. I think Big Bro just helped the wife gain leverage in her case."
Tristan looked at Saeki as though he were looking at another fool.
Shin Keir was a good person?
Had Saeki already forgotten how the two of them had nearly been beaten to death months ago?
Not to mention that both their game characters had been deleted. And because the game company was under Hexion, Tristan had been forced to assist in stabilizing the game after countless players complained about the sudden "bug."
"By the way, did anyone call Shin to come over? I'm sure this lawsuit must have been stressful, so he could use a little time to chill afterward," Zoren said.
"Already did, but he isn't answering my calls," Saeki replied.