CHAPTER 108: FANNING THE FLAMES

The medical staff, along with hospital security, politely approached Shin Keir to explain the situation.

Hadi’s condition had suddenly worsened, and the only person present at the time was Venice, an unrelated individual with no rights to be in the room.

Naturally, the hospital could not allow such a matter to slide, especially since the patient was a VIP.

Listening quietly, Yeri couldn’t help but smirk.

"I didn’t do anything! When I went in, he was fine!" Venice protested, pointing a trembling finger at Yeri. "She’s my cousin, she was there with me. Later on, Young Master Keir was also outside with us when Hadi suddenly began screaming and acting hysterical. I wanted to call for help, but he was holding my wrist tightly!"

Shin remained silent, his expression cold and indifferent.

"You entered another patient’s room without permission?" Jj demanded, his tone sharp with indignation.

Venice ignored him, frustration bubbling over. She turned on Yeri with hostile eyes. "Don’t you have a mouth? Why don’t you say something?"

Rolling her eyes, Yeri addressed the staff calmly. "You can check the CCTV footage."

For a brief moment, relief flashed across Venice’s face. "Yes, check the CCTV! I was just trying to help, and this is how you treat me? Wait until the patient wakes up, he was the one who begged me not to leave him alone!"

The security staff didn’t bother acknowledging her. They were used to dealing with dramas involving wealthy families from affairs, scandals, and petty conflicts often erupted in hospitals like this.

Venice, too caught up in her panic, failed to notice the icy glint in Shin’s eyes as he regarded her.

If this were the demon world, anyone who dared despise his empress would have been banished from the palace. And those who dared harm her? He would personally execute them.

This woman dared show hostility toward his Yeri?

Suddenly, Venice screamed, clutching her head as if struck by a splitting migraine.

In the end, she was escorted back to her room. Since Shin Keir, as Hadi’s relative, did not press charges against her, the hospital chose not to escalate the matter further.

Unseen by the others, a dark mist lingered behind Venice as she was led away.

The corner of Shin’s lips curled faintly. Since this woman liked to act, he would indulge her. Let her stay in the hospital a while longer and long enough to learn what true patients endured.

---

Meanwhile, at SC University, Tiffany was glued to her phone, eyes gleaming with amusement as she scrolled through the trending post about Lucia Hera.

"So, Yeri, that pretentious bitch, was actually the server? What the hell was her family thinking, letting her work like that?" she sneered.

"Could it be she’s been pretending to be weak all this time? A server’s job takes a lot of stamina," Rita blurted out beside her.

Tiffany scoffed, then laughed as a dangerous thought crossed her mind. She picked up her phone with a sly smile.

Rita looked at her, confused.

"What are you planning?"

Tiffany shrugged, a smirk tugging her lips. "Whether she’s sick or her family stopped favoring her, it doesn’t matter. How about we make her even more famous?"

Rita’s expression darkened with unease. "What do you mean? Tiffany, don’t go too far. Didn’t your lawyer warn you not to do anything without consulting him first?"

Tiffany rolled her eyes and stepped aside to make a private call.

---

Ricci Residence

For days, the Ricci mansion had known no peace.

Father Ricci rarely came home, unwilling to face the chaos inside. Sergei often stormed out in frustration after heated arguments with his sister.

At dinner one evening, Madam Ricci tried once more to coax her daughter. "Calin, is something wrong at work? If there’s a problem, you know you can always share it with me."

Calin slammed her fork down. "I’m done eating."

Madam Ricci’s patience frayed. "And then what? Are you going to wreck your room again? You can’t even call it a room anymore, just broken furniture and shattered glass. All you’ve done these past days is scream, cry, and destroy things. Do you want to give your mother a heart attack?"

"It’s my business! Stay out of it!" Calin snapped. "Or do you want me to leave? Just say it!"

Shocked, Madam Ricci stared at her daughter. "Calin, I’m your mother. Don’t forget you’re a Ricci. Can’t you control your temper? Is there truly nothing we can do to help you with whatever you’re going through?"

Covering her face, Calin rose without a word and stormed back to her room, slamming the door. Moments later, the crash of shattered objects echoed through the mansion.

Helpless, Madam Ricci could only weep. When she called her husband and son, they either didn’t answer or claimed they were too busy.

Alone, Calin replayed the surveillance footage of the Zhillion café incident for what felt like the hundredth time. Each viewing filled her with a storm of emotions: jealousy, rage, despair.

She scrutinized Shin Keir’s expression, his words, his gestures. As much as she tried to deny it, the truth gnawed at her: he wasn’t indifferent to Yeri Zhi.

Shin Keir, cold and detached by nature, had shown her something he’d never shown to anyone, not even his own grandmother. He had patted Yeri’s head, comforted her, and even involved himself in a quarrel between two women.

For Calin, who had admired him from afar for so long, this was unbearable proof.

With a strangled scream, she hurled a newly replaced night lamp against the wall.

"Control my temper? How?" she muttered, chest heaving, eyes wild as if torn between laughter and tears.

Her mother had no idea how much restraint it took not to march out and confront that Yeri Zhi directly. But as the Ricci heiress, she couldn’t stoop that low.

And so, unable to vent properly, she unleashed her fury within the house. It was like a ticking bomb inside her, and breaking things was the only way to keep it from exploding entirely.

Her phone buzzed.

[ I did what you told me to do. ]

Calin sneered, her lips curling with grim satisfaction. Relief mingled with her bitterness.

Right. Lucia Hera, the fool. Who told her to meddle in things that didn’t concern her? Let her bear the consequences.

A greedy girl who reached for the wrong branch, now nothing more than her, Calin Ricci’s disposable tool.

On the other end, Lucia stared at the reply she received:

[ Okay. Wait for my next instruction. Don’t do anything stupid. ]

Though she had managed to escape that abandoned factory, it felt as though the shadows of it still clung to her.

At first, she had thought the Zhis were behind her abduction. But the more she pieced things together, the more she realized it had nothing to do with them.

Worse, she was horrified at the demands of the mysterious woman who had manipulated her. That public apology? It hadn’t been her own words, it had been scripted.

Of course, if the netizens noticed, how could Lucia herself not realize? It wasn’t about reconciling with Yeri Zhi or polishing reputations. No, this woman simply wanted to control the narrative.

And one thing was clear: like her, this woman coveted Shin Keir.

Lucia had thought about going to the police, but the threat hanging over her was too heavy.

That woman more vicious than her, had compromising photos of her, one leak, and her life would be ruined.

As she sat in anguish, another notification pinged. A money transfer.

Lucia broke down in tears. She had been a fool. She knew nothing of the ruthless games played among the wealthy.

Her greed had blinded her. Once, she thought she could take a shortcut, like other women who married into riches. But life’s harshness had only made her more ambitious and now, she was paying the price.

That night was destined to be sleepless for some people including Yeri.

---

By nightfall, Yeri’s photos had spread across social media, going viral and trending at lightning speed.

Netizens clamored, praising her beauty and saying she could rival any celebrity.

Those from SC University quickly claimed to know her, and idle netizens soon dug up her sparse social media profile. Despite having only a few posts, she gained thousands of followers within hours.

But not all the attention was positive. One particular post went viral:

"I’m from the same school as Yeri. Don’t be fooled by her pretty face. She’s scheming and hypocritical, always pretending to be weak. She skips school for weeks, sometimes even months yet the school doesn’t care because her family is rich. She gets tons of love letters, confessions, and gifts from suitors, shamelessly accepts them, then strings the boys along without ever giving a proper answer. She’s arrogant, acts unattainable, and vindictive. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if Lucia Hera was threatened or paid to apologize."

Yeri stared at the post without expression. It was obvious someone was deliberately fanning the flames and taking advantage of the situation.

Some comments about her were tolerable—praise, words of defense, even curiosity. But many others were nothing but accusations, baseless assumptions, sneers, and judgmental remarks.

Worse, several of the photos floating around were clearly taken without her consent, like from some paparazzi or stalkers.

Her phone buzzed.

Nina.

Yeri glanced at the clock, it was already past nine in the evening. She hesitated, then answered.

"Tell me," Nina’s teasing voice rang through the quiet room, "how does it feel to become famous overnight? Even some celebrities don’t get this much attention as you."