That had been the plan.
So why had he suddenly felt the urge to do what he had done?
Even now, Ellis couldn't explain it.
Perhaps it had been anger. Or perhaps, in that moment, he had simply acted on an impulse without thinking about how ridiculous it would look afterward.
But Ellis was now facing an even greater predicament: the clan elders were openly criticizing and chastising him for such shameful behavior.
From the group chat, Shin's comment stood out like a blade.
[ Uncle must be too overwhelmed to believe he can fly. I believe he needs a break from company matters. ]
"Shin, this damn bastard! He's trying to oust me from the board and strip me of my position in the company! I knew he wouldn't let this opportunity slip."
Ellis nearly slammed the phone onto the floor, but Hiro quickly stopped him.
"Dad, calm down." Hiro tried to soothe him. "The more hysterical you act, the more reason you give them to claim that you're mentally exhausted and incapable of handling your responsibilities."
He paused before reassuring him, "Besides, we're in a critical situation. As long as Grandma doesn't change her will, and we can secure all of her company shares, that's all that matters."
Upon hearing that, Ellis gradually settled down. The two soon began discussing the matter in lowered voices.
-
Meanwhile, Yeri had just finished discussing her flower choices with the wedding planner.
"Miss Zhi, are you sure you don't want to incorporate some lily of the valley?" the planner asked.
"I don't like it," Yeri said firmly, eyeing the delicate flowers.
Of course, flowers had their own language and symbolism. But the demon side of her preferred flowers with thorns.
The wedding planner understood and quietly moved on to take care of the other arrangements.
"If you're unhappy with the flowers from this realm, I could bring some from the Demon Realm," Shin offered from beside her.
Yeri frowned.
It wasn't that she doubted whether he could do it. They were both fully aware that anything originating from the Demon Realm, even something as seemingly harmless as a flower, could potentially be dangerous to humans.
"Are you really that confident your flowers won't devour humans?"
Shin merely shrugged and tapped a finger against the engagement ring on her hand.
"Do you know this ring came from the Demon Realm? Don't let anyone else wear it. They might end up cursed." His lips curved slightly. "As for a few flowers, it's not difficult for me to make them harmless."
Yeri thought about it.
In fact, even before her memories had returned, there had already been something about the pink diamond that inexplicably drew her to it.
"No. I'm happy with the flowers here."
She didn't want any unexpected complications, especially not when it came to her wedding. She would rather avoid even the slightest possibility of something going wrong.
Afterward, she followed the wedding planner to taste the wedding cakes and sample the food that would be served to the guests.
By the time they finished, Yeri was so full that she sank into the sofa and decided she no longer wanted to move.
While Shin was taking a phone call, she casually turned on the television in the lounge.
A news report immediately caught her attention.
The broadcast was giving the latest updates regarding Calin.
According to the report, Calin had been deemed unfit to serve her prison sentence due to her mental state and would instead be transferred to a highly secured psychiatric sanatorium.
Her brother, Sergei Ricci, had been found guilty as an accessory to what had happened to their father and was sentenced to eighteen months in prison.
However, when the warrant for his arrest was issued, Sergei was nowhere to be found.
He was eventually caught attempting to abduct his ex-girlfriend, Marianne Vega, while trying to flee the city.
Fortunately, according to the police, Marianne had long been wary of him. When Sergei arrived at her home late the previous night, she immediately alerted the authorities.
As for their mother, Madam Ricci, reports stated that she had immediately flown to a neighboring city to stay with her maternal family following the final hearing in Calin's case.
She reportedly wanted nothing more to do with either of her children.
Yeri frowned as she watched the report. She couldn't help but think that those two really were siblings.
Both of them seemed to have the same tendency to resort to extreme measures whenever things didn't go their way.
It was almost as though they had inherited not only the Ricci name, but also the family's talent for making catastrophes out of their own bad decisions.
Although, Yeri couldn't help wondering why Sergei had chosen his ex-girlfriend when the rumors circulating through high society claimed that he had been interested in Saeki's sister, Natalia, for a long time.
Her gaze drifted toward Natalia, who was chatting with someone a short distance away.
As it happened, Natalia was also there with her fiancé, Allen. They had come to hire the same wedding-planning company for their own wedding.
Since becoming acquainted with Shin's circle of friends, Yeri had also gotten to know their partners, including Natalia, who was just as lively and energetic as her brother, Saeki Jie.
Just then, her phone rang.
It was Tristan.
He was calling to give her a rundown of Xati's latest misdemeanors, including the incident involving Sean.
He also sent over irrefutable surveillance footage showing Xati entering Tristan's room to take his bank card, as well as footage of Xati handing the peach to Sean.
Yeri "..."
Her glare immediately darted toward Shin's back.
Wasn't he so confident, and insisted that Xati didn't need parental guidance?
According to Tristan, Zahn had called him about Sean, because he was afraid of upsetting him and, in turn, hurting Lianna. Sean eventually confessed that he had intentionally eaten the peach.
He had even defended Xati, insisting that his friend had merely been giving him advice.
Even so, Zahn found the entire thing far too extreme for a child. Most children would advise another child to ask their parents to take them to an amusement park or buy them something.
They wouldn't normally suggest that someone harm themselves.
Worried about Sean, Yeri first called Tristan to get the full details before contacting Lianna.
Her attention had completely shifted away from the television, so she didn't catch the following news update announcing that Sergei had managed to evade the authorities and was now believed to be targeting a socialite named Natalia Jie.
Yeri wandered through the venue while speaking to Lianna on the phone.
Before she realized it, she had ended up in a secluded hallway.
A dimly lit emergency exit stood beside an open room filled with mannequins, piles of wedding decorations, dresses, fabrics, and other supplies.
"It's good that Sean is alright. I'll come visit whenever I have the time, and I'll have Xati apologize to him."
On the other end of the call, Lianna seemed to hesitate. For some reason, Yeri sounded less like Xati's friend and more like his guardian.
Still, Lianna reassured her, "There's no need. He's just a child too. Sometimes children have wild imaginations. Besides, Sean already said Xati didn't force him. He made the decision himself."
It still counted as instigation, Yeri wanted to argue.
But before she could say anything, a heavy thud came from behind her.
Yeri turned around, but there was no one there.
Just as she was about to speak, another heavy thud echoed through the hallway.
"Sister Lianna, I'll call you back."
She ended the call and crossed her arms, standing still as she watched the hallway.
For several moments, nothing happened.
Then Shin's message appeared on her phone, [Where did you go?]
Yeri sighed and began typing a reply as she walked away.
Then came another thud.
She stopped, slowly turning around.
A masked man dressed entirely in black had emerged from the room, a woman lying unconscious over his shoulder.
The man halted when he saw her. Even through the mask, Yeri could feel the murderous intent radiating from him.
Without hesitation, she turned and bolted.
Unfortunately, she had taken only a few steps when the emergency exit suddenly swung open.
Another masked man rushed inside and tackled her.
Everything happened too quickly.
She didn't even have time to scream for help, much less summon her demon abilities, before a handkerchief was forcibly pressed over her mouth and nose.
Her vision blurred.
The hallway tilted beneath her, and the last thing she saw was the dim emergency light above her before darkness swallowed everything.
-
When Yeri regained consciousness, she found herself in a dark, unfamiliar place.
The air smelled of rust and damp wood. Somewhere in the distance, she could hear the steady crashing of ocean waves.
Yeri remained still for several minutes, allowing her senses to stabilize as she carefully surveyed her surroundings.
Outside, muffled voices could be heard.
"I got confused! The woman was wearing blue too!" A man argued.
"She saw us. What choice did we have? We had to take her as well."
Yeri cursed inwardly.
Was blue her unlucky color now? So she wasn't even the intended target? She had simply been mistaken for someone else?
After several more heated exchanges outside, the door was suddenly slammed open.
Heavy footsteps approached.
Yeri squinted against the sudden flood of light as someone entered the room. Once her eyes adjusted, her expression changed.
A familiar face stood before her.
"You?" she muttered.
Sergei couldn't have looked more shocked.
The moment he recognized her, he actually took several steps backward, as though Yeri herself were some lethal, high-voltage hazard.
"Are you here to take revenge for your sister?" Yeri asked dryly.
Sergei ignored the question and instead rushed toward one of his men and grabbed him by the collar, the veins in his neck bulging with rage.
"Didn't you say she was just some random woman who happened to be in the wrong place?! Are you fucking with me? Don't you know who she is?" His voice rose into a furious roar. "Have you idiots been living in a cage your entire lives? How can you not recognize her?!"
The men exchanged uneasy glances.
They genuinely seemed to have no idea who Yeri was.
"She looked familiar," one of them muttered.
"Is she one of your sister's acquaintances?"
"We thought about dumping her somewhere along the way, but the street surveillance might catch us."
Sergei looked ready to explode, he was practically hyperventilating now.