Ellis looked his son up and down and, for a fleeting moment, wondered how he had managed to raise such a failure.
With a sneer, he said, "You coward. He was obviously bluffing. Do you really think he'd expose what you did to him? If he did, the elders would come after him for damaging the clan's reputation."
"He wasn't bluffing when he beat me half to death before!" Hadi snapped. "I've told you countless times that bastard is a lunatic! What reputation? Do you honestly think he cares about that? All of you keep valuing and tolerating him over and over again, but when has he ever shown any of us a good face? He doesn't even respect Grandma!"
Perhaps this was one of the rare times Hadi's brain was actually working, and he was making a valid point.
Growing up believing Shin had stolen what was rightfully his, Hadi had spent years picking fights with him. While Hadi busied himself currying favor with the elders, Shin always wore the same indifferent, antisocial expression. Yet somehow, those old geezers still liked that bastard more.
Ellis, however, couldn't care less about his complaints.
Instead, he scolded him again, completely oblivious to the resentment steadily building inside his son.
Suddenly, Hadi swept everything off the office desk with a violent swing of his arm.
"Blah, blah, blah! Do you really think I can't see your favoritism? You always back Hiro and help him whenever he's in trouble, but when it comes to me, all you ever say is, 'Let Serenity handle it!'
Pointing accusingly at his father, he shouted, "Now that I think about it, you're the one who set me up to marry that poisonous woman! Did you know all along how vicious she was? Did you make me marry her just so you could control me while Hiro gets to be your precious successor?"
Ellis froze for a moment, then his face darkened.
To him, Hadi had just trampled all over his authority as a father. Without another word, he picked up the office phone and called security.
"Hadi, I'm truly disappointed in you," Ellis said coldly. "Reflect on what you've done. Until then, don't come looking for me. Otherwise, I'll consider it as though I never had a second son."
Hadi laughed bitterly.
"Have you ever been a father to me?" he shot back. "And why would I come to you when you can't even give me money?"
Ellis was livid.
However, noticing employees already gathering outside after hearing the commotion, he swallowed his anger and simply slammed the office door shut.
---
Outside KGG, Hadi stood aimlessly on the sidewalk, momentarily at a loss about where to go.
Going home meant admitting defeat to that crazy bitch, Serenity.
Unlike everyone else, Hadi knew one thing for certain. Shin had never once lied when it came to his threats.
Being temporarily disowned by the clan was already a devastating blow. If news of his attempt to assassinate Shin became public, he would truly be finished.
As night fell, Hadi ended up drinking at a bar again with a few of his usual friends who had casually invited him out.
"Hadi," one of them said with a wink, "I brought you a fresh college student. What do you think?"
Hadi glanced at the shy girl sitting beside him before silently downing another glass of liquor.
His friend nudged the girl and spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear.
"What are you doing? Go on and keep our VIP friend Hadi Keir company. Do you think he's paying our bills for nothing? Besides, he doesn't just buy women handbags. Giving away a villa is nothing to him."
Hadi almost choked on his drink.
What villa?
He was surviving on a pitiful allowance now and the reminder stung like salt rubbed into a fresh wound.
Shooting his friend a murderous glare, he stood up and headed for the restroom.
When he returned a few minutes later, he spotted a familiar figure walking through the hallway.
Before he could think better of it, his body had already moved, grabbing the person's wrist.
"Yeri Zhi... is that you?"
Yeri was caught completely off guard as she stared at the drunk man who had suddenly grabbed her wrist.
She had come to the bar with several classmates to celebrate a friend's birthday and had never expected to run into Hadi Keir.
What shocked her even more was his colorful fashion sense.
Was he afraid people wouldn't notice him?
"I don't think we're close enough for you to grab me so suddenly," Yeri said coldly, clearly displeased and having no desire whatsoever to be associated with him.
Hadi laughed. At least he hadn't mistaken her for someone else.
"How are my company shares doing?" he asked mockingly. "Must be nice reaping the benefits without doing anything. Not only did you take my shares, but you'll get that bastard's money too."
Yeri knew he was drunk, not wanting to waste her energy arguing with a drunkard, she tried to pull her hand back.
Unfortunately, his grip only tightened.
"Well, since you took my shares, the least you can do is keep me company tonight." Hadi smirked. "I'm here with my friends. Let me introduce you."
"I'd taken your shares?" Yeri frowned. "Are you confused or something?"
Hadi's expression darkened. Instead of answering, he glared at her.
For the first time all day, he had found someone he could vent his frustration onto.
As a Keir, there had never been a moment in his life when he worried about money.
People flocked to him endlessly, eager to curry favor. Women practically threw themselves at him, abandoning their dignity for the chance to become his mistress.
Yet these days, everything had changed.
That poisonous woman, Serenity, seemed to invent new ways to infuriate him every single day, and thanks to Shin, he now had to think about money too.
How was he supposed to maintain his lifestyle at this rate?
The worst part was that he couldn't do anything about it.
He couldn't get revenge on Shin. He couldn't beat up Serenity. His so-called parents and brother were completely useless, doing nothing except lecturing him whenever they had the chance.
So when he unexpectedly ran into Yeri, she immediately became the easiest target, the easiest person he could blame for his current predicament.
Moreover, Calin had called him earlier.
Hearing her voice had only made him feel more helpless.
The woman he loved was suffering, yet he could do absolutely nothing for her.
And wasn't her current predicament all because of Shin Keir too?
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.
"I'm only asking you to accompany me for a drink. What's wrong with that?" Hadi sneered. "Compared to shares worth hundreds of millions, you're practically robbing me."
Yeri stared at him as though he had escaped from a psychiatric ward.
Then Hadi suddenly narrowed his eyes. "Tell me, did that bastard Shin target Calin because he found out about my feelings for her?"
Yeri "???"
Before she could say anything else, Hadi dragged her down the hallway and pulled her toward a private room.
"Guess who I found... the future Young Madam Keir, Yeri Zhi," Hadi announced loudly before turning to Yeri. "Or should I already start calling you Yeri Keir?"
No one knew that Hadi had been temporarily disowned by the Keir family, so they naturally assumed he was joking.
With the contract exposed by Calin still dominating online discussions, Hadi's friends immediately became enthusiastic.
"Whoa! Where did you find her so randomly?" one of them asked. "Or did you invite her over? Didn't know you two were that close."
"As expected of you, Hadi." Another laughed. "But does Shin Keir know she's here?"
Out of the eight friends gathered there, five were already drunk and couldn't be bothered with propriety. They openly stared at Yeri, whistling and leering without restraint.
"Damn, that Shin Keir sure knows how to pick a woman," one of them remarked while shamelessly gawking at Yeri's figure.
"Hello, Yeri! I'm honored you came here to hang out with us!"
"That's right. I heard you're still a student, which means you're our junior. Why don't you drink three glasses as a sign of respect?" another suggested with a grin. "We're all part of the same circle. In the future, we'll be looking after you too, considering you'll be Hadi's cousin-in-law."
Yeri frowned as she looked at Hadi's equally degenerate friends.
Several women were seated among them as well. Their expressions varied from curiosity to contempt to envy, yet none of them said a word.
In any case, Yeri had no intention of staying any longer.
"I'm here with my own friends," she said flatly before turning to leave.
Unfortunately, they clearly had no intention of letting her go as one of them immediately stepped forward and blocked the door.
"Is Yeri looking down on us because we're not on the same level as Shin Keir?"
Yeri's brows furrowed.
She found it irritating how these people casually addressed her by her first name as though they were close acquaintances.
They hadn't even bothered asking if she was comfortable with it.
"Is it just me, or does she kind of resemble Calin Ricci?" another person chimed in.
At the mention of Calin's name, Hadi, who had been lounging in the center of the sofa while enjoying the spectacle, looked at Yeri intently.
She wasn't wearing any makeup, yet that only made her seem even more beautiful and captivating. Although she wore a modest blue blouse and a skirt that reached her knees, neither could conceal her graceful figure.
For a brief moment, Hadi recalled the first time he had seen her at the hospital.
Back then, he had already found her attractive.
If she hadn't been connected to Shin Keir, he might have pursued her instead of wasting his time on her cousin, Venice Zhi.
As for the comparison with Calin...
Hadi narrowed his eyes.
There was indeed a slight resemblance between the two women.
Perhaps it was the shape of their eyes. Perhaps it was simply the way they carried themselves.
But even through his alcohol-clouded thoughts, Hadi couldn't help reaching a conclusion.
Yeri was far too beautiful to be compared to Calin, but this realization only made his mood even worse.
After all, every beautiful thing seemed to always end up on Shin Keir's hand.