Addicted to you

Chapter 44 - He liked her

And she was angry.

Her nails pressed into his hand as they danced, not hard enough to hurt—but sharp enough to send a message. She hissed and demanded an explanation.

And maybe he deserved every bit of it.

But he wasn't going to apologize.

Not tonight

Her voice was low, tightly controlled, but furious. "You broke the secret agreement."

Secret agreement... The words echoed in his mind like a bitter joke.

They hadn't put it in writing, hadn't shaken on it. But it had been real. A fragile understanding. Something unspoken, yet binding.

He hadn't thought it would matter. Not after what they'd shared. Not after what he'd felt.

But maybe she hadn't felt it too.

Maybe it had just been a moment of confusion to her. A temporary lapse in judgment. A foolish mistake she'd rather forget.

Or maybe... maybe she was scared.

Scared of what it would mean if it were real.

Shin studied her face as they moved in sync, pretending this was a normal dance between acquaintances. But he could feel the tension in her shoulders, the war happening behind her eyes.

And still—she let him hold her.

She let him stay.

Her scent—faint rose and something uniquely her—made his mind blur. He wasn't thinking straight. He hadn't been since the moment he saw her.

He'd told himself he came here to get closure. To prove he didn't care.

But it was a lie.

Originally, he had been questioning his own actions. Why did he want her back? Why was he so eager to explain himself? He had never done anything like this before—it just wasn't like him.

Shin didn't understand why he was so determined to date her. A part of him thought he'd regret it if he didn't try. But now, he was almost certain of this strange, unfamiliar feeling he once believed he wasn't capable of—he liked her.

He came here for her.

And now that he was this close, he couldn't let go.

Let them talk. Let them whisper. Let the whole damn ballroom speculate.

He didn't care.

She would only have a debut once, and no one else deserved this moment with her.

No one but him.

So he smiled—just a little.

Not because he wanted to mock her, but because she was trying so hard to be unaffected, and failing. Because her blush betrayed her. Because she still cared, even if she didn't want to.

And no matter how angry she was, she gave him her full attention.

He had her.

Even if just for now.

---

Meanwhile, from a distance, Venice watched the two with open envy and hatred.

Yeri. Why is it always Yeri?!

She's nothing but a useless, sickly burden wasting her family's money and resources.

Aside from her looks and the luck of being born into a rich family, what's so special about her?

Venice never had a happy or pampered childhood. For as long as she could remember, she'd grown up in a cramped apartment, listening to her mother cry herself to sleep while chasing after a man.

As a child, Venice was often teased for not having a father. It wasn't until she turned fourteen that she finally understood the truth—her mother was just a mistress. That explained why her father barely visited or spent time with her.

She still remembered the first time she saw Yeri—at her father's birthday party. Yeri must have been around ten then, clinging to father Zhi's side, cradled like a fragile porcelain doll, surrounded by bodyguards and gifts.

Everyone had looked at her like she was some kind of fairy tale princess.

Meanwhile, Venice and her mother stood at a distance, her mother not daring to lift her head for fear of being discovered.

Venice had heard that Yeri's real mother had passed away and that the current Madam Zhi was her stepmother.

For a moment, Venice felt oddly comforted, thinking they shared similar experiences.

But to her disappointment, Yeri would never truly understand what it meant to grow up in a single-parent home.

Zenia Zhi, the so-called stepmother, didn't hate Yeri at all. She treated her like a real daughter, filling the void her biological mother left behind, every loss, with affection and luxury.

When Venice was sixteen, she finally got the chance to meet Yeri face-to-face. The moment she stepped into the Zhi manor, her heart turned bitter.

Yeri lived in comfort, showered with love and attention, treated like a princess despite her frailty, while she scraped by with nothing but her mother's bitterness and her own simmering resentment.

Venice tried to console herself, repeating her mother's words: Yeri wouldn't live long anyway. And with Jj being adopted, surely the Zhi family fortune would shift eventually to Nolan Zhi, to them someday.

But even so...

Even so, she couldn't stand seeing Yeri happy.

Just days ago, her mother had a brilliant idea—stain Yeri's gown and ruin her moment. Venice hadn't hesitated. She'd imagined the whole scene: Yeri crying, embarrassed, wearing some backup dress while everyone whispered.

With a smug grin, Venice waited for Yeri to come down the stairs, expecting her to look far from glamorous.

But to her shock—Yeri showed up tonight more stunning than ever. Poised. Elegant.

Dazzling.

And worst of all—Shin Keir noticed.

Venice bit her lower lip, forcing herself not to snarl.

Of all people... Shin Keir.

He wasn't supposed to be here. He wasn't supposed to see her.

And yet there he was, holding Yeri like she was the only girl in the world.

Venice's fingers curled tightly around her glass.

It's not fair.

It's never been fair.

---

The dance ended with a final elegant spin, and the two of them parted like strangers.

Yeri curtsied politely, then turned away without a word. Her expression didn't change—calm, composed, as if she had simply completed a dance with any other guest. She didn't glance back at him once.

Shin Keir stood still for a moment, watching her go. But he didn't mind.

He'd gotten what he came for—a moment with her.

That was enough... for now.

The music swelled again, and the party moved on. The crowd, made up of high society elites, acted like they didn't notice him. No one approached. No one stared.

But their ears were listening.

Their eyes, hidden by glances and tilted heads, followed him.

Even their posture shifted slightly when he passed by—shoulders tightening, backs straightening. They knew who he was. And they were cautious.

Near the center of the room, poor Jj, caught in his usual role as the unwilling mediator, nervously approached with a stiff smile.

"Uh... Shin, come with me. I'll introduce you to my—our dad."

Shin followed him calmly, hands in his pockets, relaxed on the outside but sharp inside. The moment Jj brought him over, Father Zhi turned to face him.

The elder Zhi nodded once—calm, unreadable, towering with quiet authority.

"Mr. Keir," he said, voice deep and smooth, but holding no warmth.

Shin gave a respectful nod. "Master Zhi."

There was a pause. Just a beat too long.

Father Zhi's face remained calm, almost bored. But his eyes... they were watching closely. Measuring. Calculating. This young man who suddenly appeared at his daughter's debut, uninvited, dancing with her like he belonged—there had to be a reason.

Father Zhi didn't speak much, but his silence spoke volumes.

On the other side of the ballroom, Nina nearly jumped out of her heels when she spotted Yeri by the buffet table.

"Yeri! Oh my God!" she squealed, grabbing a small plate while sneaking glances around. "You invited him?!"

Yeri choked on her champagne and gave Nina a sharp glare. "Lower your voice! And no—I didn't. I'm almost certain he showed up just to bother me. Some kind of twisted revenge."

Nina looked at her like she'd just claimed the sky was green. "Revenge? For what?"

Yeri just rolled her eyes, dodging the question. She wasn't about to tell Nina about the break up, about Shin's arranged fiancée. It was already complicated enough without dragging more people into it.

As they chatted, Levi joined them, balancing a plate piled with shrimp and pastries. "Yz, congratulations. I think this might be the debut party of the century," he muttered before biting into a tart.

"Agreed," Nina said, her eyes still sparkling with excitement. "It's like a romance novel exploded in here."

"Don't talk nonsense," Yeri said, rolling her eyes.

Guests passed by occasionally, offering greetings and compliments to Yeri. She smiled, bowed slightly, and returned their words politely. But her attention kept shifting to the edges of the room.

Then, a new noise broke through the hum of conversation.

They turned toward the commotion and saw a small group forming around Tristan Felan, who was casually laughing with a glass of wine in hand. Around him were several elegant women—some single, some definitely not—trying to catch his attention.

And even though Tristan barely said anything, the women seemed happy just to be near him. _{n𝚘vp𝚞𝚋.com}

Yeri sighed. "Of course he's drawing a crowd again."

"He's so cool. Don't you know he has a Tartarus account?" Levi said, watching Tristan with amused interest.

"Really?!" Yeri blinked, surprised. She hadn't pegged Tristan as the gaming type.

"And Young Master Jie is no different—another crowd magnet," Nina added, subtly pointing toward another cluster of guests.

Saeki Jie stood farther off, tall and cool, listening to someone with that same charming demeanor. Just like Shin and Tristan, he didn't have to try—people came to him like moths to a flame.

Not far from him, Venice Zhi's eyes locked onto him like a hawk spotting prey.

She had originally planned to approach Shin Keir. But she hesitated.

She'd heard the rumors—his cold nature, his dismissive attitude toward women, the sharp tongue that didn't care about titles or beauty. It was safer to avoid him for now.

But then she overheard someone mentioning Saeki Jie and Tristan Felan, both heirs to two of the four richest clans.

This is it, she thought, straightening her dress and fixing her lipstick. If I can just get one of them to notice me...

She glided toward Saeki with her most charming smile.

"Young Master Jie," she greeted sweetly. "It's such an honor to have you here tonight. I'm Venice Zhi. So lovely to meet you."

She brazenly used and deliberately emphasized the surname Zhi.