Shin's deep, cold voice held no trace of fear or contempt, yet he wasn't even out of breath.
He seemed like someone emerging from the depths of the abyss, the kind of presence that could devour you at any moment.
Bryce, who had been overconfident earlier, sensed the danger looming as well.
Someone like him, who had come face-to-face with death countless times, certainly knew that feeling.
A few minutes later, Shin walked out of the darkness looking as though he had merely gone for a stroll.
There, he found a note deliberately left behind by Bryce.
[How long do you think Yeri Zhi could live? Let's play a bet.]
Shin crumpled the piece of paper in his hand. He knew Bryce was trying to unsettle him, turning this into a psychological game that could certainly affect an ordinary person's daily life.
"Boss, are you okay?" Loki asked, looking around.
He resembled a serial killer, a crescent-shaped knife in his hand and blood trickling down his forehead.
"Got away." Shin shrugged.
He wasn't in a hurry. He would let Bryce believe that he was the one controlling this game.
Soon after, someone reported that Sergei was gone, possibly taken by Bryce along with some of Sergei's people.
Well, this was unexpected.
Bryce must have thought that the enemy of his enemy was a friend. But with Sergei, he was hoping for far too much.
-
The ordeal eventually ended with the Mafia Association hushing the entire incident. Allowing two criminals, especially someone like Bryce Gate, to escape was terrible for their reputation. As for Shin, he certainly didn't need any more publicity.
The four of them ended up at the hospital to make sure both women were all right.
Clearly, Natalia had suffered trauma, not only because of Sergei Ricci but also from getting caught up in the middle of a mafia fight.
"Such a big thing happened. Why did no one inform me?" Saeki came rushing in, only to see his sister trembling like a leaf. He immediately glared at Allen. "You!"
Allen looked apologetic.
"I'm fine. What about you, Yeri? You must have been scared too, right?" Natalia asked, looking deathly pale.
Yeri nodded.
Although she had been completely calm inside, it would have been abnormal for her to appear perfectly fine after everything that had happened.
Outside the hospital room, Zahn confirmed that neither woman had suffered any physical injuries, though they would most likely need to seek therapy for the trauma.
"By the way, I already have the results regarding your grandmother's sudden illness," Zahn said to Shin. "That nephew of yours was right. There was something mixed into the tea she was drinking that caused a chemical reaction when combined with her other medications."
Shin remained indifferent. He couldn't be bothered with it.
"Send the report to my father," he simply said.
—
A week had passed since the incident, and Elder Madam Keir had gradually recovered.
She was still staying at Tristan's villa so Master Keir could easily visit her, but after learning the real reason his mother had fallen ill, he somehow couldn't bring himself to tell her the truth.
He knew of his brother's greed, but never had he expected Ellis and his son to go as far as plotting to poison an already frail old woman.
The realization had only deepened the rift between the two brothers and their families. Since then, Master Keir had banned Ellis and his family from visiting the villa.
"Great-grandma, are you all right now?" Xati blinked innocently as he sat beside her bedside.
Elder Madam Keir grinned from ear to ear at his concern.
"Good child. Don't worry. Great-grandma still has many years ahead of her to watch you grow up."
"Why were you sick?" Xati asked.
Elder Madam Keir began babbling about random things, mentioning stress and some old health problems.
Xati tilted his head, looking increasingly annoyed and bored.
He wondered why humans always made things so complicated and insisted on keeping the truth from the very people who deserved to know it.
"Oh? Why did I hear Grandpa getting so angry and saying that it was his own brother and nephew who actually dared to harm you, all for the inheritance?" Xati asked nonchalantly.
The smile on the old matriarch's face froze.
Disbelief, confusion, and anxiety were all written across her face.
"Grandpa?" she repeated.
"Yeah, Grandpa Allister." Xati nodded.
Elder Madam Keir was momentarily stunned, unsure how to react. Then she forced a smile.
"Xati, Great-grandma is tired and needs some rest. Could you call your grandpa for me?"
Xati nodded and ran outside to call him.
Once the door closed, Xati remained outside, simply standing there.
Without even leaning his head toward the door, he could hear the argument inside.
Xati smirk in satisfaction before leaving.
—
In order to put an end to all kinds of nonsense surrounding Xati, the Keir family had already planned a grand party for him, and everything proceeded as planned.
At the grand ballroom, elites, socialites, and business tycoons gathered, primarily for politics and, obviously, connections.
Most importantly, they had come to gauge whether this child would eventually become the successor to the Keir family's multibillion-dollar assets.
From the grand staircase, Elder Madam Keir descended while holding Xati's hand.
And to his left was... Yeri Zhi.
Why was it her? What was going on?
The crowd immediately became like sharks that had smelled blood from miles away, buzzing with curiosity and gossip.
Since the previous night, Xati had insisted that Yeri accompany him, despite Elder Madam Keir's repeated attempts to persuade him otherwise. It would be strange, she had argued, and could easily cause another stir.
"Tristan, talk to your son. I don't understand why he's so attached to that woman," Elder Madam Keir complained.
Tristan simply shrugged.
"I don't mind. In fact, this is actually a good way to address all the allegations that we're having internal issues, right? People are saying Shin is threatened by Xati's existence or that Yeri is having an immoral relationship with me. Seeing her close to Xati makes it clear that we have nothing to hide."
Elder Madam Keir was speechless.
Having an adult accompany Xati was important, which was why she had originally wanted it to be either herself or Allister, and Tristan.
But then again, Tristan had a point.
And so, for the sake of their reputation, she relented.
Among the crowd, Ellis sat in a wheelchair, looking composed as he held a glass of champagne, but his eyes were filled with hatred and malice.
That evil, evil child.
Ever since he had fallen down the staircase, nothing good had happened to him.
Whenever he visited in the following days, strange and eerie things would always occur.
He had been chased by a stray cat that had no business being anywhere near such a heavily secured estate. He had been hit by bird droppings while sitting quietly in the garden, accidentally locked inside the villa's cold storage and nearly frozen, almost struck by a thick falling tree branch, and even choked on his own saliva.
There had been countless other seemingly trivial yet dangerous incidents.
He was almost certain it was Xati.
That devious little brat had been sneaking around and playing tricks on him.
Yet no matter how many times Ellis demanded that Tristan show him the villa's surveillance footage, Tristan refused.
His son, Hiro, wasn't spared either.
Worse, his mother had discovered that her illness had been caused by the tea Hiro had brought her.
Although Hiro had cried innocence and denied everything, insisting that it hadn't been intentional because he hadn't known about the old woman's medication, the incident had still unnerved her.
Indeed, there wasn't enough proof. The tea itself wasn't toxic if consumed by someone else, and knowing the old matriarch, she would rather bury the matter than allow the public to turn it into a scandal.
Still, they could all tell that the old woman had become wary and distant toward them.
With how fond Elder Madam Keir was of Xati, what if she really changed her mind and decided to disinherit his family?
"Ellis, it seems that child really gets along with Shin's future wife. I heard their wedding is already next month?" someone chatted him up.
Ellis could tell the man was trying to get information from him, but given the volatile situation, he decided not to cause trouble that might eventually lead back to him.
"Hmm, I think Yeri often visits him. That must be why," he simply said.
Meanwhile, Elder Madam Keir tearfully narrated her struggles with her health and how Xati had been a great source of moral support.
Soon, she became carried away and began babbling about Xati's intelligence, how sweet he was, and how adorable.
Ellis could barely maintain his composure as he listened.
Yeri also agreed with Elder Madam Keir, keeping her words polite and brief without trying to upstage the older woman. This made Elder Madam Keir very satisfied.
When it was Xati's turn, his sharp gaze swept across the crowd, giving off an aura that seemed far too mature for a child his age.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Xati Keir. Thank you all for coming here today, even at such short notice. I'm very happy for all the love and care from my family, especially Great-grandma's teachings and Grandpa's patience and understanding. I love his painting lessons the most, and his business advice."
Elder Madam Keir nearly teared up.
She dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief as though she had personally raised Xati from the day he was born.
Master Keir simply nodded, clearly pleased.
Guests who had children around Xati's age couldn't help but wonder what kind of business advice a five-year-old could possibly remember, let alone whether a child that young would even be interested in it.
Others, meanwhile, felt the pressure and immediately became competitive.
"Thank you to Dad too."
Xati paused, glancing toward Shin, who was looking at him as though he might pull out his tongue at any moment if he dared to spout nonsense.
The guests didn't notice, especially with Tristan and Shin standing side by side.
Seeing the dark mist threatening to attack him, Xati felt indignant. He pursed his lips, then turned toward the person beside him.
His face immediately lit up as he looked up at Yeri.
"I like Big Sister the most!" Xati declared proudly. "She's very good to me, and we actually have many similarities, from our likes to our favorites."
This time, he sounded exactly like a child, making the crowd laugh lightly.