Lianna snapped into motion.
She dropped into a crouch beside Sean, cupping his small face between both hands and forcing his wide, frightened eyes to lock onto hers.
"Sean," she said tightly, fighting to keep her voice steady even as her pulse spiked. "Stay here. Don't move, okay?"
Sean's lower lip trembled, but he nodded, obedient and scared.
Lianna rose at once and turned to the nearest staff member, her voice sharp with urgency.
"Please," she said, "watch my son for a moment. Don't let him leave the table."
The hostess blinked, startled by the sudden chaos, but quickly nodded. "Yes, madam. Of course."
Lianna didn't wait for anything else.
Outside, the night air hit her like a slap, cold with salt and sea wind. The restaurant's warm lights fell behind her, swallowed by darkness and the restless hush of waves.
And ahead, Zahn looked like he was becoming something else entirely.
He didn't look like a doctor, but rather like a beast that had slipped its leash.
Despite being the same height as the other man, Zahn overwhelmed him with raw force, his movements vicious and unrestrained.
The two men crashed into the sand, rolling hard as fists flew, the grit sticking to skin and blood.
A woman screamed for them to stop, frantic as she tried to wedge herself between them, only to stumble back when Zahn surged again.
Lianna froze for half a heartbeat, shock rooting her feet.
She hesitated but Zahn was still Sean's father, so she rushed forward and grabbed Zahn from behind, wrapping both arms around his arm and shoulder, pulling with everything she had.
"Zahn Neri!" she gasped, voice strained as she fought to hold him back. "What's wrong with you?!"
Zahn let out a wry, furious laugh, his eyes never leaving the two people in front of him, as if the world had narrowed into a single target.
The man on the ground pushed himself up, not even looking particularly bothered.
He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, then smirked.
"Aren't you a doctor?" he drawled sarcastically. "What are you doing beating people like this?"
Before Lianna could respond, a sharp voice sliced through the night.
Madam Neri stormed forward, pointing an accusing finger at Zahn as if she could still command him the way she once did.
"Have you gone mad?!" she scolded. "Is this what I taught you growing up? I knew it. I was only gone for a while and you really let your malicious wife influence you!"
Lianna look at the other pair. The man was unfamiliar to her, but to her astonishment, the woman beside him wasn't.
It was Madam Neri.
Zahn's mouth twisted into a sneer, his voice low and lethal.
"Teach me?" he spat. "Then let me ask you something. What is your relationship with him?"
Madam Neri stiffened, her eyes darted away, quick, guilty, almost instinctive.
The man stood fully now, brushing sand from his clothes. Madam Neri immediately stepped in to help him, her distress and concern so open it was impossible to miss. She fussed over him with a tenderness that didn't belong to a stranger.
Lianna felt her stomach drop, her brows furrowed in suspicion.
The man scoffed, unfazed. "Relationship?" he said lightly, as if Zahn were being ridiculous. "The Madam of the Neri family isn't just your mother. She's also a member of the board of directors. I can't discuss business with her?"
At that, Madam Neri seemed to find her spine again. She lifted her chin, indignation flashing across her face like armor.
"Zahn, what the hell are you thinking?" she snapped. "I'm your mother. Could it be you're implying- "
Zahn didn't let her finish. The rage pouring off him was so intense it felt physical, a coldness seeping into the air around him.
It was the kind of fury born from betrayal.
The kind that came from realizing you had worshipped a lie.
Lianna didn't fully understand what was happening, but she leaned closer, her voice dropping into a warning meant only for him.
"Calm down," she whispered harshly. "Don't you know Sean is watching?"
Only then did Zahn flinched as if her words struck him harder than any fist. His breathing hitched, his eyes shifting, and only then did he seem to realize what he'd done, how far he'd let impulse drag him.
Regret flashed across his face, quick and bitter.
But Madam Neri saw the slight change in Zahn's posture and, instead of relief, her expression twisted with fresh fury, directed not at him, but at Lianna. She looked ready to lunge.
"You damn vixen!" Madam Neri shrieked, stepping forward as if she wanted to claw Lianna's face. "It's you again, maliciously spouting nonsense to my son to ruin our relationship! I really underestimated you. How vicious can you be?!"
Her voice rose higher, sharper, feeding off the attention gathering around them.
"It wasn't enough for you to kick me out of the villa and deprive me of seeing my grandson, now you're causing trouble again?!"
Lianna "..."
Around them, the earlier commotion had already drawn a crowd. People spilled out from the restaurant and nearby tables, their faces lit with curiosity, judgement, and hunger for drama.
The moment Madam Neri made her accusations, whispers ignited like wildfire.
"I heard Madam Neri doesn't get along with her daughter-in-law… turns out it's true."
"Isn't that man with Madam Neri Xavier Song? Why are they together?"
"I don't know. I just saw Doctor Neri suddenly attack him."
"I've never seen Zahn Neri's wife before… so that's her."
"I heard she got her status through unpleasant means. Could it be what Madam Neri said is true?"
"If it's true, then she's terrifying. A scheming woman who can wrap Doctor Neri around her finger isn't simple…"
The murmurs swelled, layering judgement over judgement, until the air itself felt heavy.
Lianna's expression darkened, the muscles in her jaw tightening as she prepared to refute the accusation.
But before she could speak, Zahn's voice cut through the noise like a blade.
"Why are you blaming her?" he demanded, his tone sharp and merciless. "Is it because you think she's the easiest to target?"
His eyes swept over the crowd briefly, then returned to his mother with a cold steadiness that made the air feel thinner.
"The one who forbade you from seeing our son is me," he said, each word deliberate. "And I'm also the one who told you not to interfere with my family matters. This has nothing to do with Lianna. Or is Mother saying that I, Zahn Neri, am incapable of making decisions?"
Madam Neri looked genuinely taken aback, as if she hadn't expected her own son to humiliate her in public, to dismantle her narrative so cleanly in front of strangers.
"Brother Zahn? Sister-in-law?"
A soft, melodious voice drifted in, smooth as silk and just as suffocating.
All four of them turned at once.
Vanessa approached with practiced grace, as though she were stepping onto a stage rather than into a scandal.
She wore a tight floral dress that hugged her figure, and her long black hair streamed behind her in the sea wind like a ribbon of ink.
Her face held polite concern, the kind that never wrinkled no matter how ugly the situation became.
"Vanessa," Xavier Song said at once, as if her arrival granted him an audience. His lips curled into a mocking smile. "Good that you're here. I was simply taking a walk with Madam Neri when I was attacked. Seriously, anyone would think her son is the vicious dog she raised."
Madam Neri's face flickered, shame and indignation battling for dominance. She shot Zahn a furious glare, then turned to Xavier with a forced, trembling dignity.
"Indeed," she said stiffly, "I deeply apologize for Zahn's behavior. I hope Eldest Young Master Song will allow me to make it up to you, and won't take this matter to heart."
Zahn watched the two of them perform their little scene, his expression unreadable. But the coldness in his gaze returned, sharper than before. Only this time, he restrained himself.
Vanessa's eyes moved quickly between them, piecing together what had happened with frightening ease.
She gave Xavier a brief, meaningful look, then turned her attention to Zahn. She stepped closer, offering a simple nod to Lianna, courteous and distant.
Then she spoke to Zahn, lowering her voice as if thoughtfully protecting him from the ears of the onlookers.
"Brother Zahn, you misunderstood," Vanessa said softly. "The three of us were together to discuss a business collaboration. After dinner, Madam Neri felt a bit unwell, so Eldest Young Master Song accompanied her for a walk.
After all," she added smoothly, "with Madam Neri's status, it isn't safe for her to be alone."
Zahn stared at her without reacting. Then he nodded once, his gaze slid past Vanessa, piercing straight toward Xavier Song.
"Then I truly owe you an apology," Zahn said, his voice flat. "I must have drunk quite a bit and saw things differently. I'll find a time to properly apologize to you."
Madam Neri's expression tightened. The discomfort crawled under her skin because she knew exactly what she'd lost.
Before Zahn discovered how she had abused her authority, how she had used her status to mistreat Lianna, Zahn had trusted her completely, and had never once disrespected her.
Their relationship used to be indestructible.
Now, even when he spoke politely, there was distance in him, and something else beneath it.
Without another word, Zahn reached for Lianna's hand.
His grip was firm, grounding, protective as he led her away from the chaos. But after only a few steps, he halted.
He turned back slowly, his gaze sweeping over the crowd like a warning sign.
The onlookers instantly stiffened, their earlier excitement draining into unease.
"If any of you spread rumors about my wife," he said, "you'd better be ready for a lawsuit."
The crowd parted nervously, avoiding his eyes as though eye contact alone could summon consequences.
Some people began stammering excuses. Others simply stepped aside in silence, suddenly remembering appointments they didn't have.
Vanessa bit her lip as she watched them leave, her gaze lingering on Zahn's broad back and the way his hand remained firmly wrapped around Lianna's.
Ever since Sean's birthday, she'd been looking for openings, for any excuse to orbit closer to Zahn Neri.
She'd made calls that went unanswered, sent messages that remained unread, arranged "coincidental" encounters that never quite happened.
And when she did manage to reach him, he was always the same: distant, polite, unreachable. Either swallowed by work at the hospital or simply unwilling.