Even if Dr. Neri found out and got upset, surely he wouldn't take it out on Shin Keir so unreasonably, right?
"Sister-in-law, we're here," Saeki reminded her, noticing she hadn't moved.
Yeri's driver was also staring, clearly stunned. He must have heard how Saeki had addressed her.
But Yeri had no time to dwell on that. She couldn't keep Master Keir waiting outside in such weather.
Pushing her nerves aside, she stepped out quickly, bowed politely, and greeted him. "I'm very sorry for this abrupt visit. I couldn't use my phone to contact B-Brother Shin."
She stammered over the word "brother," still awkward with it.
But Master Keir's eyes softened with a joy she didn't notice. "Don't be too formal. We'll be family in the future. You're welcome here anytime."
Flustered, Yeri just nodded.
Saeki bounded out after her, cheerfully greeting the two elders before launching into a lively retelling of how Yeri had gotten lost and ended up at his villa first.
"Good thing Young Master Jie happened to be home," Butler Hong said kindly. "Otherwise, it might have taken her much longer to arrive. But she will grow familiar with this place in time."
Saeki chuckled and threw Yeri a teasing look. "Indeed. If Uncle Allister hadn't told me, those two would've taken forever to admit it. Never thought Big Bro would settle down before me!"
"Now, now, why are we standing here in this downpour?" Master Keir interrupted. "We're having dinner inside. Join us."
"Uhm… actually…" Yeri swallowed hard. "I brought a friend. She isn't well, she caught a fever in the rain. Because of the traffic, I couldn't take her home, so… it's the reason I came here so suddenly."
Her voice trailed off. She wanted to sink into the ground, but she forced herself to meet Master Keir's gaze, not wanting him to think her rude.
Right now, she could feel how thick her skin was, thicker than all her medical records combined over the years. Not only had she came unannounced, she had also brought along another person. So much for first impressions.
"Ah! I almost forgot about her!" Saeki clapped his hands. "She looked drenched too. Did she get dumped and then sulk in the rain?"
Yeri: "…"
She truly wondered how this man managed to be friends with Shin Keir, who was the complete opposite of him.
"No, that's not it. But… you might know her. She's Mrs. Lianna Neri." Yeri's voice softened at the end.
All three men froze, staring at her as if she had just spoken nonsense.
Even if the two elders didn't care much for the young generation's affairs, they still heard things. And everyone in their circle had at least some impression of the young Madam of the Neri family.
"Wait—sister-in-law, did you just say Mrs. Neri? You mean Zahn's wife?" Saeki asked, eyes wide.
Yeri nodded.
Saeki leaned forward, eyes glittering with gossip. "How did you even meet her?"
Yeri really couldn't with him. One second serious, the next, full gossip mode.
Master Keir, however, didn't hesitate. He immediately ordered someone to fetch the estate doctor, while Butler Hong had the housekeepers help Lianna into a guest room.
Butler Hong was just as efficient, sending staff to tend to Yeri's driver.
The poor man, who had been standing there awkwardly like a bamboo stalk, was stunned. He thought he'd be dismissed to wait in the car but instead, the household staff were ushering him elsewhere.
Yeri gave him a reassuring nod, so he reluctantly followed, though inwardly he prayed he hadn't stepped into some rich family's candy house trap.
After all, in his line of work, he'd met many wealthy people. Most were far from this welcoming.
---
Inside, Master Keir noticed Yeri was also slightly drenched and advised her to take a warm bath and change, just in case.
But that immediately raised a dilemma: no women lived in the villa, so where would they find clothes for her to wear?
Yeri could easily borrow Shin's, he certainly wouldn't mind. But for Mrs. Neri, it was completely inappropriate. Not only was she married, but knowing Shin's personality, he would absolutely raise hell over it.
"Wait," Saeki suddenly chimed in, eyes lighting up, "that stone-face Zahn also has a villa here—"
"You can't!" Yeri blurted out, cutting him off too quickly.
Realizing her overreaction, she bit her lip and quickly apologized. But there was no avoiding it, she had to at least give some explanation.
"I… I don't know what happened between them," she admitted carefully, "but I think she doesn't want to see him at the moment."
"I knew this day would come!" Saeki exclaimed, his gossipy eyes sparkling. "So how did you get close with Mrs. Sculpture?"
Yeri: "???"
"Oh—don't mind me. I mean Mrs. Neri," he corrected hastily, then leaned closer to whisper. "You don't know? She's very distant, barely speaks to anyone. Whenever I saw her at banquets, she just stood in a corner like… well, a sculpture."
Master Keir sighed, cutting through Saeki's theatrics. "The pressing matter now is simply to buy her a change of clothes."
"I've got some women's clothes at home," Saeki offered quickly. "I keep them around whenever my elder sister visits."
In the end, that was the only option.
Saeki rushed off, while Yeri was handed some of Shin's things to change into.
Half an hour later, she emerged wearing Shin's oversized blue shirt and a pair of white golf shorts. At the same time, Saeki returned with a bag of clothes.
Seeing her swimming in Shin's outfit, Saeki burst out laughing. "Hahaha~ look at you! You're even tinier in his clothes!"
Yeri: "…"
Why is he being overly familiar with her?
At the dining table, Butler Hong had already laid out fresh dishes.
"Is Brother Shin still at work?" Yeri asked Master Keir as she sat down.
"Hmph. That boy always overworks himself," Master Keir muttered, sounding more like a grumbling father than a powerful tycoon. "Even worse before he met you. You should tell him not to overdo it, he never listens to me."
Truthfully, when Butler Hong had rushed in earlier, excitedly announcing that his "future daughter-in-law" was at the estate gate, Master Keir had considered informing Shin. But knowing his son's temperament, there wouldn't be any chance of chatting with her. So, Master Keir had deliberately told Butler Hong not to inform him.
Yeri only smiled softly and focused on her food. For three people, there was far too much laid out, but she wasn't about to complain.
The dinner atmosphere turned out surprisingly harmonious.
Thanks to Saeki's extroverted chatter, Yeri never felt too uncomfortable, and even Master Keir, normally stern and antisocial became talkative. They discussed favorite dishes, hobbies, and even art.
After dinner, Saeki refused to leave, sprawling on the sofa as if he were waiting for the next episode of his favorite drama.
Yeri, not wanting to be cornered by his endless gossip inquiry about Mrs. Neri, excused herself to make a phone call.
Anyway, she needed to call home. This time she couldn't lie about her whereabouts, not with the family driver present as a witness.
Because of the heavy downpour, Master Keir insisted she stay the night, and Yeri reluctantly agreed.
It wasn't just the weather but if Lianna woke up and realized Yeri had left her alone in a strange man's home, the misunderstanding could spiral. Lianna was already suffering from depression; Yeri couldn't risk making it worse.
When her Dad found out where she was, he went silent for a long moment.
Yeri felt nervous. "Dad? Don't you trust me? It would be bad if I just abandoned my friend here. If you don't believe me, you can confirm with our driver."
"Princess, you and Shin Keir haven't even finalized the engagement. This isn't good for your reputation," Father Zhi said sternly.
Yeri bit her lip. If her father discovered this wasn't her first time visiting Shin's villa, he would definitely explode.
"It's just for one night," she reasoned carefully. "No one will gossip. Besides, Master Keir is here too."
After much hesitation, Father Zhi finally relented. He had originally considered sending a maid with her clothes as an excuse, but worried the Keirs might take it as a sign of distrust.
Overcoming that hurdle, Yeri felt as if a heavy stone had been lifted from her chest.
Later, she checked on Lianna. The estate doctor had already examined her, given medicine, and hooked up an IV drip, but her fever still burned.
---
By the time the clock struck past ten, Shin finally returned home. His face was cold and gloomy.
He had been calling Yeri for hours, but couldn't reach her.
Either her phone was off, or what he dreaded most: she had blocked him again.
There was no reason for her phone to be off; she should have been home. Was she pretending not to care about that damned gossip article and blocking him out again?
Stepping out of his car, he frowned. Why were the lights still on?
Whenever he came home late, his father would already be resting. Unless… that old antique from the main house had come to poison the air again.
Opening the door, he was greeted by Butler Hong.
"Young Master, welcome back. I thought I heard a car."
"Why are you still up? You don't have to wait for me."
Butler Hong was practically overactive, like he had drunk too much caffeine.
"We have an important guest," he explained. "And the Master hasn't gone to sleep yet."
Shin: "…"
What guest could possibly warrant this much fuss? Enough to keep both Butler Hong and his father awake at this hour?
He followed Butler Hong upstairs. The third floor had become his father's domain, a mix of study and private studio.
In the short time he'd been staying there, Master Keir had transported most of his paintings, tools, and even parts of his art collection.
Shin and his father had one thing in common: they hated outsiders intruding into their private space. For his father to actually let a guest into his treasure trove… he must really like them.
As Shin neared the room, familiar voices drifted out.