Because if the contract was genuine, the implications extended far beyond a mere romantic scandal.
In the business world, Shin Keir was regarded as the embodiment of power, rationality, and success. He was the benchmark against which countless executives measured themselves.
Yet the contract suggested that he had willingly agreed to transfer all assets under his name to a woman should he ever wrong her during their marriage.
To ordinary people, it might have seemed romantic.
To investors, shareholders, and business leaders, however, it was terrifying.
If Shin Keir was willing to place his personal fortune into another person's hands, what guarantee was there that he would not make similarly emotional decisions regarding KGG in the future?
Could a man who allowed emotions to influence decisions of such magnitude still be trusted to lead one of the nation's largest conglomerates?
Businesses feared uncertainty more than they feared enemies.
Today it was a marital contract.
Tomorrow, would it be company shares?
At KGG, Tristan raised an eyebrow at the explosive revelation as he glanced at Shin.
He hadn't known about the contract, but knowing Shin, he also knew it wasn't impossible.
After all, what humans considered immeasurable wealth and the stuff of dreams meant very little to demons like them.
"Is that contract legit?" he asked.
Shin remained expressionless, but his gaze turned cold and murderous. How had Calin managed to obtain a copy of that contract?
He tried calling Yeri again. Only after several attempts did she finally answer. Judging by her voice, however, she seemed completely unaware of what was happening.
"Don't leave the house alone, and don't go to school for now," he reminded her.
"What? Graduation is almost here. I can't just be absent."
"Your final exams are already over. Aside from graduation preparations, there's nothing important left at school," Shin replied.
Yeri continued to insist, so in the end, he could only tell her to make the decision herself.
The moment the call ended, his phone began ringing incessantly again. Tristan's wasn't any better.
Shin hadn't even noticed when Secretary Yun entered the office, his expression visibly anxious.
In fact, Secretary Yun had personally seen the contract. Shin had asked him to have it notarized and officially filed, and admittedly, he had been no less shocked by its contents.
As much as he had nothing against Yeri, he couldn't help feeling that the agreement was incredibly one-sided and borderline suicidal on his boss's part.
Still, it wasn't his place to interfere with Shin's decisions.
"Well, well, it seems news really does travel fast," Tristan remarked, shaking his phone in Shin's direction.
Shin glanced at the screen and saw that one of the Keir elders was calling. Looking at his own phone, he discovered that one of the elders was calling him as well.
"Boss, the board of directors and senior executives are requesting an emergency meeting," Secretary Yun reported from the side.
"Schedule it for tomorrow," Shin said calmly as he grabbed his coat and headed for the door.
Tristan followed behind, appearing as nonchalant as ever while muttering under his breath.
"What did I ever do to end up with an ambiguous relationship with Yeri just because I haven't been seeing women lately?"
As the two men passed several employees, most quickly lowered their heads and pretended to focus on their overtime work.
Unfortunately for them, despite the distance, Shin and Tristan could still hear every word they were saying.
"That Calin Ricci is stirring up trouble again. Didn't she claim she drugged our CEO because her father forced her to? Now she's forging documents too. She's really malicious."
"But what if the contract isn't fake?"
"How long have you worked here? Don't you know what our CEO is like? Do you seriously think he'd hand over his entire fortune to a woman?"
"Yeah, I don't believe it either. Besides, it doesn't look like they're on bad terms," another employee commented, glancing toward the two men as they entered the elevator together.
Outside the company, media reporters were already arriving one after another, clearly intending to camp outside until they managed to catch Shin Keir.
Unfortunately for them, Shin and Tristan had already taken the private elevator, boarded their car, and left without anyone noticing.
---
Meanwhile, Yeri had just finished showering and was drying her hair when hurried knocking sounded at her bedroom door.
Before she could respond, the door swung open and Madam Zhi rushed inside, looking unusually flustered.
"Mom?" Yeri blinked in confusion. "Did something happen?"
Madam Zhi forced a smile. "Why did you shower so early?"
Yeri looked puzzled by the question.
"I went to Brother Book's house and got scared by his bug collection. I thought I'd wash away my goosebumps."
Madam Zhi let out a small chuckle, but her eyes kept darting around the room as though she wanted to say something and couldn't quite find the courage.
Yeri immediately noticed. "Mom, what's wrong? Whatever it is, you can tell me."
Madam Zhi stiffened. After a long moment, she suddenly grabbed Yeri's hand and held it tightly.
"You child..." she began carefully. "I'm really happy that you've found a good match and that the two of you seem to be getting along well. It's just that... Did you sign a contract with Shin Keir?"
Yeri looked utterly baffled.
However, as Madam Zhi described the contents of the contract and mentioned Calin's livestream, Yeri's eyes widened.
She immediately grabbed her phone and searched for Calin's social media account.
The livestream itself was over an hour long, but thankfully the comment section was filled with timestamps.
Yeri quickly skipped to the relevant parts.
Not only had Calin displayed the contract during the livestream, but just minutes earlier she had also uploaded screenshots of it with a caption claiming that the source of the document was none other than Yeri herself.
Yeri ???
For a moment, she simply stared at the screen.
Looking at her daughter's expression, Madam Zhi's face gradually paled. She had a terrible feeling that the contract might actually be genuine.
"Princess..." Madam Zhi said cautiously. "This contract seems different from the one Shin gave your father. Wasn't that one about company shares?"
Yeri jolted.
Only then did she remember that other contract. The shares had been part of Shin's premarital gift. Or, more accurately, what he had initially called compensation after Hadi hired mercenaries who had dragged her into their conflict with Shin Keir and nearly cost her life.
A frightening thought suddenly crossed her mind.
What if that contract got leaked too?
Yeri had never really thought much about these things before.
Before she could respond, her father arrived as well.
With a stern expression, Master Zhi looked at her and said, "Come to the study."
Yeri immediately straightened.
Just as the three of them headed downstairs, Jj arrived in a hurry. Judging by his appearance, he had most likely escaped one of his classes.
The moment everyone was seated in the study, Master Zhi got straight to the point.
"Is the contract genuine?"
Yeri nodded.
Jj looked at her with a complicated expression.
"Who initiated the contents of the contract? You or Shin Keir?" Master Zhi asked another question.
"Of course it was him!" Yeri pouted.
"Such a one-sided contract is highly unusual. What was the catch? What did he ask for in return?"
Yeri nearly fell out of her chair. "Dad! Are you implying that I seduced him and sacrificed my body to make him sign that contract?"
"Did you?"
Yeri immediately choked.
She had forgotten that her father wasn't the type to be swayed by dramatic complaints or coquettish excuses.
Yeri explained everything, about her concerns regarding the Keir family's traditions, her worries about having no way out if the marriage turned bad, and her fear of being completely powerless due to the vast difference in their status and influence.
"It wasn't something I asked for," she said. "I was just worried. Brother Shin came up with it himself."
Master Zhi listened quietly, his gaze fixed on her face. Yet the skepticism in his eyes remained.
After all, he was a businessman. Even from his perspective, the contract was absurd.
No businessman in their right mind would willingly sign something like that.
"I don't know how it got leaked," Yeri continued worriedly, "but Calin is obviously trying to drive a wedge between Brother Shin and me by claiming that I was the source. If this ends up affecting our family, I can just ask Brother Shin to destroy the contract. At the time, I only thought of it as insurance. Something to protect me and our family if the worst happened."
Madam Zhi sighed heavily, her worries lay elsewhere.
The engagement alone had already attracted enough jealousy and resentment.
Now that the public believed Yeri possessed a contract that could potentially give her control over Shin Keir's vast fortune, she would undoubtedly become a target.
Not just for those envious of her relationship, but also for people coveting Shin's wealth.
Even the Keir family's rivals might start paying attention.
"Maybe you shouldn't go to school for now," Jj suggested. "At least wait until Shin Keir releases an official statement."
Yeri suddenly remembered Shin telling her the exact same thing earlier. So that was the reason.
"That's it. I'll just tell him to deny the contract. Besides, Calin doesn't seem to have the original copy anyway."
Master Zhi remained silent. There were still many things he wanted clarified.
However, those questions would be better directed at Shin Keir himself.
---
Meanwhile, in an upscale villa community far removed from the bustle of the city, luxury and security coexisted in perfect harmony.
The vast residential complex was reserved exclusively for members of the Keir family and those closely connected to them.
One after another, luxury vehicles arrived before the grand meeting hall.
The Keir elders stepped out and entered with solemn expressions.
The emergency meeting had drawn nearly every important figure within the family.
Not long afterward, Shin's father arrived as well.
The moment he stepped out of his car, he spotted his elder brother's family near the entrance.
Ellis Keir stood proudly with his two sons, Hiro and Hadi, his face radiating smug satisfaction.
The expression was so blatant that it practically screamed:
'See? I told you something was wrong with your son.'
Master Keir narrowed his eyes.