Shin, the only calm one in the chaos, leaned back slightly, his voice laced with icy contempt. "Master Nafplion, what were you thinking, dragging your son out of rehab when it’s obvious he hasn’t changed? At this rate, he’s not only dangerous to himself but will harm others."
"That’s not true!" Madam Nafplion shrieked, her denial shrill. "My son is fine! He, he was never !"
Her words cut off in horror as Leo, red-eyed and frothing with rage, snatched up a porcelain vase from the side table and hurled it at her.
The vase shattered against the wall, grazing her cheek with a thin crimson line.
Madam Nafplion froze, her scream trapped in her throat.
Leo was no longer himself. He moved like an enraged beast that had broken free from its cage, screaming hysterically, his red eyes wild with frenzy. Veins bulged on his neck as he clawed at the floor, the sound of his guttural roars filling the room like a nightmare.
Several servants rushed in, struggling to restrain him. "Young Master, please calm down!" one pleaded, but Leo’s strength was unnatural, his body thrashing with the force of ten men.
And then his gaze snapped to Yeri. Read full story at novel⟡fire.net
There she was hiding behind Shin Keir. The sight made his rage explode further.
"YOU!" he howled, spittle flying. The veins in his temple pulsed, and with terrifying speed, he tore free from the servants’ grasp. Fueled by madness, he pounced straight at Shin Keir.
But Shin didn’t even flinch.
With one swift motion, he raised his leg and delivered a precise, brutal kick to Leo’s chest.
Leo was launched backward, crashing into a side table, sending porcelain and glass scattering across the marble floor. He writhed, coughing and gasping for air, but his eyes still burned with hatred as he tried to crawl back up.
"Should we call the police?" Madam Zhi muttered shakily, her hands trembling as she clung to her husband.
"No!" Madam Nafplion screamed instantly, her voice cracking with fear. Her face had lost all color, her body shaking as much as her son’s.
She was terrified, terrified of Leo, and even more terrified of the humiliation this scene would cause.
Master Zhi, however, only scoffed coldly. His lips curled into a sneer as he turned to Master Nafplion. "This is the son you want my daughter to marry? Even a dog shouldn’t be near him. Get out of my house or I’ll personally call the mental hospital."
Master Nafplion’s body trembled with fury and shame. His face was pale, his lips pressed into a thin line.
Never in his life had he been humiliated so openly. Yet... what could he do? They had only come with a driver. Who could possibly restrain Leo now?
Even the servants struggled, their arms straining as Leo bucked and kicked like a wild bull, foam starting to gather at the corner of his lips.
In the end, there was no choice. A call was made to the Neri psychiatric ward.
The Nafplions had never expected Leo to have an episode here, of all places at another family’s home, in front of witnesses and outsiders .
By the time the ambulance finally arrived, the Zhi manor’s living room was left in ruins: shattered porcelain, broken furniture, and an air still trembling with shock.
The Nafplions left with their son strapped down and screaming inside the ambulance, their dignity in shreds.
When silence finally returned, Madam Zhi sank onto the couch, her body trembling.
Father Zhi wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. "It’s over. Don’t be afraid," he murmured, trying to calm her.
Yeri frowned deeply, her thoughts unsettled. "Do you think he was having withdrawal symptoms?" she asked in a low voice.
Shin gave a noncommittal shrug. "Could be." His hand reached out, gently patting her back, his voice lowering as his eyes met hers. "You alright?"
Yeri nodded, though the image of Leo’s bloodshot eyes and deranged screams lingered in her mind. Then suddenly, another thought struck her.
"Wait," she said, blinking up at him. "Why... why did you even come here? Didn’t I tell you you didn’t need to pick me up?"
Shin’s gaze softened, though his answer was casual. "You weren’t answering my calls. I assumed something was wrong."
But the truth ran deeper. He wasn’t about to say it aloud, but he had long placed people to monitor the Nafplions especially Leo.
When word reached him that the Nafplions had gone to the Zhi manor, he didn’t think twice. He had driven so fast, he nearly sent his car flying just to get there.
Leo’s sudden outburst hadn’t been natural at all.
To everyone else, it looked like the madness of a spoiled addict unraveling in the worst possible place. But in truth, Leo was simply unlucky enough to have drawn Shin Keir’s attention.
A wisp of dark mist, unseen and unfelt by human eyes, had been enough to drive him into hysteria.
The timing was perfect. Already weakened by his history of substance abuse, Leo’s body and mind were the easiest vessel for Shin’s corruption to exploit.
Shin could have killed him instantly if he had wanted. Ending Leo’s existence would have been the simplest thing. But no, death was simply mercy.
Shin wanted him alive. Alive, but broken. Alive, but chained by madness.
How could he tolerate someone insulting and disrespecting his empress?
Leo had dared covet her, dared call her his fiancée, even dreamed of her as his wife.
For every word Leo had ever spoken in arrogance, Shin would return it a hundredfold, twisting them into despair and torment until death itself would be a luxury denied.
After the chaos, Father Zhi carried his shaken wife upstairs, settling her to rest before immediately calling his lawyer. His voice was sharp, demanding a letter be drafted at once, a claim for damages caused by Leo Nafplion. Not just for the wrecked furniture and shattered porcelain, but for the mental and emotional distress inflicted on his family.
Meanwhile, Yeri found herself conflicted. Part of her felt it wasn’t the right time to leave the Zhi manor. The family was shaken, their home turned upside down. But at the same time... what about Mrs Neri?
To her surprise, after a quiet, brief conversation between Shin and Master Zhi, her father allowed her to leave with Shin.
At the Neri psychiatric ward, chaos still reigned. It took five people to restrain Leo, each one sweating and panting as he thrashed violently. Only after the doctor forced a sedative into him did his body collapse into restless sleep.
Madam Nafplion slumped onto a chair, her whole frame trembling. Tears streaked down her cheeks, but before she could speak, a hand cracked sharply against her face.
The slap stunned her into silence.
Master Nafplion loomed over her, his eyes bloodshot with rage. "Look at the kind of son you’ve raised!" he roared. "Didn’t you say he was clean? Didn’t you swear he was cured? That thing was worse than a beast tonight! If I had known you and that useless boy would ruin everything, I should have killed him before he was born!"
Madam Nafplion clutched her cheek, lips trembling. No words came. Only sobs.
After some time, she wiped her tears, her voice lowering to a mutter. "It’s that girl. Yeri. She provoked him. If she hadn’t flaunted herself in front of Shin Keir, Leo wouldn’t have lost control."
Her attempt at shifting blame earned her only a cold, disgusted stare from her husband.
The doctor entered then, carrying Leo’s recent medical files. His verdict was clinical, merciless. "This was likely a withdrawal episode. He should never have been discharged, his treatment wasn’t complete. Taking him out of rehab was a grave mistake. He is still highly unstable."
Master Nafplion said nothing, his jaw tight. His mind wasn’t on his son anymore, it was on Shin Keir.
No, it was impossible that Shin Keir had intervened purely for business. There had to be something more.
The Keirs and the Zhis operated in different fields, their financial scales worlds apart.
So why meddle? Why walk into the Zhi household like it wasn’t his first visit?
There was something else hidden beneath the surface. And Master Nafplion swore he would uncover it.
Later that night, Yeri returned to Shin’s villa. She was surprised to find that Mrs. Neri still hadn’t woken.
Master Keir, calm as ever, reassured her. "The medical estate ran tests this afternoon. It’s only a normal fever. Nothing serious."
But Yeri’s worry lingered. If Mrs. Neri didn’t wake by morning, she would have no choice but to contact her family.
After all, she wasn’t an immediate relative. If she kept silent, her family might misunderstand why she concealed her condition.
Just then, the front door opened.
Saeki appeared, looking like he had rushed straight from work. His suit was still on, his tie loosened. His expression was half serious, half mischievous, eyes sparkling with the thrill of gossip.
"So," he said, stepping inside without invitation, "did Zahn Neri finally show up?"
To his dismay, the answer was no. The drama he was anticipating hadn’t unfolded yet.
He sighed dramatically, throwing himself onto a chair. "Figures. I even called Zahn earlier, just casually asking about work... but he didn’t seem to notice his wife hasn’t been home for two days."
Yeri wasn’t surprised.
She remembered Lianna had once mentioned her husband left for a medical mission not long after their baby was born.
Compared to disappearing for a couple of days, Dr. Neri’s years abroad were far worse. Perhaps he was well aware she wasn’t home but to him, it was nothing more than one of her tantrums. He must have assumed she’d return home on her own.
Yeri sighed, frustration knotting in her chest.
Then Saeki leaned closer, lowering his voice with the excitement of someone who had stumbled upon fresh gossip. "Actually, their son had a birthday party recently. I couldn’t attend due to work, you know...but something definitely happened."
Yeri tilted her head. That day she had found Lianna, she was still wearing a gown. Could it be connected?
Without waiting for her reply, Saeki pulled out his phone and began dialing. "I’ll dig into it. I’ll have answers."