Yeri wasn't in the mood to play along with Venice's theatrics. She fixed her with a cold glare.
"Why are you here? Didn't you faint? Did you run away from your medical tests again?"
Venice flinched, momentarily rattled, worried Yeri might blurt out something that would ruin her carefully maintained image.
But she quickly slipped back into her practiced character: weak, pitiful, and oh-so-traumatized.
"They… rescheduled it," she whispered, trembling just enough to look convincing. "Mom went out to buy something, so I came here. I hope you don't mind."
Yeri rolled her eyes. Maybe she was running a fever, or maybe the lingering stench of that lunatic's breath was giving her a headache, but she was not in the mood.
"Of course I mind. There's no funeral here. If you want to cry, go mourn somewhere else."
Sensing her foul mood, Jj stepped forward and helped her toward the bed. "Do you need anything?"
"Yeah. I'm sick of her pretentious face, and I want her out." Yeri pointed directly at Venice.
Venice's eyes widened in shock but inside, she was smirking.
Wasn't this the perfect chance to play the victim?
Whatever had gotten into Yeri today, she could twist it to her advantage.
Lowering her head, she put on her most wounded expression. "It's my fault. I assumed you wouldn't mind. I'm just… too afraid to be alone. Every time I close my eyes, I see that madman and…" Her voice broke off, and she covered her face, sobbing softly.
"We were just talking about college departments in SC," Jj explained quickly, as if to reassure Yeri that nothing inappropriate was going on.
He knew full well she couldn't stand Venice and didn't want her to get the wrong idea.
"She's not a child," Yeri said flatly. "Running away from her treatment… does crying help? If she's that traumatised, talking to you isn't the solution. She needs to see a professional like a psychologist or psychiatrist or better yet, admit herself to the psychiatric ward."
Venice bit her lower lip looking wronged, subtly glancing at Tristan but he remained nonchalant.
Obviously they are nothing but strangers. For her to arouse his protective instinct, she has to at least give him a good impression of her.
"Alright, don't get riled up. It's not good for your health," Jj said gently, patting Yeri's head.
"She ran into some mental patient on her way here. Must've triggered her," Tristan added casually, throwing Yeri a subtle wink.
Jj smiled awkwardly, still unsure why Tristan Felan of all people was here. So he was supposed to be visiting a friend?
Tristan made himself at home, dropping into the chair next to Jj's bed and chatting idly about the night market accident.
Venice, meanwhile, had gone still. Wait a second… Was she just being ignored? Wasn't Tristan Felan an infamous playboy? Why was he not using this perfect chance to comfort her?
"The police advised us to stay vigilant since the culprit's still on the loose," Jj sighed.
Tristan's brows drew together. Yes, that was the official line blasted across the news. But that was only because there had been no trace of the madman at the scene.
The authorities had assumed he must've fled after unlocking the bomb.
But according to the intel Hexion provided, Shin Keir had been there.
In fact, Tristan was almost certain this was what had triggered Shin Keir's awakening. Most likely, it was seeing Yeri in danger, close to death, that had set him off.
"But I still don't get how he managed to escape," Jj continued, confusion plain on his face. "He was just standing there. Does a bomb take that long to detonate? And there was also a father who got shot at that time but I heard he survived the bombing too."
Breaking from his thoughts, Yeri suddenly asked, "The girl I saved, was she alright?"
Jj nodded reassuringly. "She should be fine. Her father survived too, so she'll have someone to take care of her."
Jj's memory of that moment was now a blur. In such a chaotic situation, his mind and emotions had been pushed to their limits, and in the final second, he had acted purely on instinct.
Before Yeri could say anything, Venice unable to bear being ignored for even another breath let out a delicate, trembling sigh.
"I still remember the chaos… how terrifying it was," she began, her voice soft and quivering. "People pushing, screaming… I was almost crushed." She placed a hand dramatically against her chest, eyes shimmering. "Then that man...he shot someone right in front of us. And he… he was smiling."
Whether she truly recalled the scene or was simply embellishing for effect, Venice's face was drained of color.
She muttered under her breath, "No, we should run… he's coming…"
Then, as though fate had given her a cue, she suddenly stepped toward Tristan, her shin grazing the chair. She gasped sharply, clutched her leg, and let herself fall toward him.
Yeri "..."
Jj "..."
"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to!" she said in a rush, voice filled with feigned panic. "My ankle was stepped on during the chaos at the night market… it still hasn't healed. I-I really didn't mean it!"
Yeri's lips curved into a humorless smile, the kind that almost deserved applause.
Really? Just minutes ago, Venice had been perfectly fine running from nurses, throwing herself into Jj's arms for comfort. Now suddenly she was a fragile, limping damsel in distress.
Perhaps Yeri had overestimated her. A woman that greedy couldn't even commit to one target, switching her aim mid-game. Unless a man was hopelessly blind, who would fall for such an obvious act?
She noticed Jj stepping in to move Venice away from Tristan but not out of concern for Venice's ankle, but because offending someone like Tristan Felan was out of the question.
Tristan, however, showed no hint of annoyance. He remained the picture of refined politeness, his smile calm and unreadable as he stood and offered her his seat. "Here. Sit down."
Venice, now face-to-face with features so devastatingly handsome they could disarm the entire battlefields, froze for a moment. Then the color rushed to her cheeks, betraying how flustered she truly was.
Watching this, Yeri rolled her eyes. Predictable. Instead of Venice seducing Tristan, it looked like the tables had turned and he had effortlessly ensnared her without even trying.
"Thank you, Young Master Felan," Venice murmured shyly.
The moment was broken by the sudden slam of the door. Linda strode in, her eyes locked on Yeri with disdain, her mouth halfway open to unleash something scathing only to freeze when she noticed they weren't alone.
"You—Aren't you… Tristan Felan?" she asked, her voice tinged with shock as her eyes widened.
"Mom, Young Master Felan is here to visit Jj," Venice said pointedly.
Tristan merely smiled, hands in his pockets, offering no explanation.
In an instant, Linda's demeanor shifted completely. Her sharp glare melted into something almost reverent, her voice dripping with flattery. "Ah, look at me! I feel so honored, I forgot about formality. I should address you properly as Young Master Felan." She tried to keep her composure, but her excitement was so plain it was almost embarrassing. "I'm Venice's mother, Linda Ryung."
Tristan politely extended his hand. "It's fine. I'm not particular about formalities."
Yeri and Jj exchanged a meaningful glance, the two of them might as well have been invisible now.
To be fair, Linda's reaction wasn't entirely unreasonable. A man like Tristan Felan wasn't simply out of their league, he was out of sight, out of reach, somewhere beyond the horizon just like Shin Keir. Even those who attended elite gatherings could only dream of the chance to speak to him, let alone discuss business or build a connection.
Yet here he was in this place, in this situation, one of the most sought-after bachelors alive. And despite his infamous reputation, women still lined up in droves, willing to leap into the fire just for his attention.
Yeri smirked to herself. If Linda were a decade younger, she might be competing against her own daughter for him.
Her small chuckle didn't go unnoticed. Linda glanced her way, finally remembering she was there.
But instead of getting angry, she smiled sweetly and patted Yeri's shoulder. "Good girl. Your parents are still busy handling all the paperwork and other matters, so I'll be looking after the three of you. If you need anything, just let me know."
Yeri: "…"
She had to give Linda credit, going from "dead girl" to "good girl" in seconds flat was impressive.
Isn't she afraid of disgusting herself?
Before the attention could shift further to Yeri, Venice jumped in quickly. "Mom, we were just talking about the tragedy at the night market."
"Yes, yes! Such a terrible incident," Linda said with exaggerated sorrow. "So many dead or severely injured. My daughter still hasn't recovered, she wakes up from nightmares even now. I'm afraid she'll have to live with PTSD." She spoke with all the sorrow and heartache of a doting mother.
Yeri couldn't be bothered anymore. Just like years ago, she had no interest and was too lazy wasting energy on the mother-daughter duo.
She couldn't fathom why Tristan was even entertaining their delusions, and before she knew it, her eyelids grew heavy and she drifted off to sleep.
---
Meanwhile, Tristan assumed Shin had gone to the hospital to visit Yeri earlier that morning. But although Shin had intended to, his first destination had been somewhere else entirely.
At Zhi Corporation, Klaus Zhi was in the middle of delegating work and rescheduling meetings, trying to clear enough time to visit the hospital, when his secretary burst in, urgency written all over his face.
"What's the matter?" Klaus asked, frowning.
With a conflicted expression, the secretary said, "Sir… I think I have CEO Shin Keir on the line, asking to schedule a meeting with you?"
"You think?" Klaus shot him a look that questioned his intelligence.
The secretary blinked, nodding awkwardly. Truthfully, he wasn't sure why someone like Shin Keir would suddenly want to speak to their CEO either.
"Is he still on the phone? If so, transfer the call to me," Klaus said, his tone calm but firm.
The secretary brightened, nodded, and hurried out.
An hour later, Klaus arrived at the agreed meeting place, a private room in a five-star restaurant. Shin Keir was already there, waiting.
They exchanged a formal handshake before taking their seats.