Addicted to you
Chapter 81: Family discussion

Chapter 81: Family discussion

A familiar stranger, crying and ranting like a bullied flower, appeared onscreen, seemingly unhinged. Yet somehow, her makeup remained flawless. Or maybe it was just a beauty filter.

Her voice shrieked through the phone speaker, "Hello everyone, it’s me... Lucia Hera. And today, I’m here to EXPOSE the truth!"

Yeri almost dropped her phone.

"You’ve got to be kidding me," she muttered, eyes wide in disbelief.

How could she not recognize that lunatic?

Expose the truth? Yeri didn’t know whether to laugh or cry from frustration.

There really were all kinds of people in this world.

"This woman’s out of her mind," she mumbled, scrolling through the comments.

Each one was worse than the last, people demanding names, accusing her of being a gold-digging employee trying to seduce a CEO. Her photo hadn’t been leaked yet, and as long as her identity remained unknown, there was nothing to worry about.

Even if it was revealed, she wasn’t the perpetrator, she was the victim. Still, she feared people might misinterpret her relationship with Shin Keir if the footage went public.

After all, he was clearly taking her side at that time.

Yeri gripped her phone tightly, jaw clenched. She was fuming and anxious but had no outlet for either emotion.

And now, she was almost certain her father’s sudden summons home had everything to do with this viral video.

At the Zhi manor, the car had barely come to a stop before Madam Zhi was already waiting by the front door, highly unusual.

Normally, her mother would be upstairs finishing her skincare routine or tending to her treasured collection of rare flowers while playing her piano playlist in the greenhouse.

As always, her mother appeared composed and smiling, but the way her hands were clasped just a bit too tightly gave her away.

"Yeri, sweetheart," she greeted, kissing her cheek. "You’ve gotten thinner. Have you eaten?"

Yeri nodded, her eyes flicking toward the house. "Is Dad home?"

"In his study," her mother replied softly. "Don’t worry too much."

That only made her worry more. What does that mean?

"By the way, Mom, Venice hasn’t been here recently, right?" Yeri asked.

Madam Zhi handed her bag to the butler. "No. After your debut, she and her mother only stayed for two days before leaving."

Yeri let out a sigh of relief but knowing those two, once their expenses dried up, they’d be back knocking soon enough.

Before she could ask anything else, Carpet launched himself into her arms like a cannonball.

"Carpet, you’re too heavy!" Yeri laughed, stumbling but hugging him anyway. "Did this dog eat too many chicken legs?"

Madam Zhi chuckled. "I’ll make you some chamomile tea."

"Ah—Mom, wait!" Yeri stopped her and pulled a small box from her bag. "This is rose tea. It’s really aromatic and good, try it."

Madam Zhi held the elegant box. There was no brand, clearly not store-bought.

Yeri quickly lied, "It’s from a friend. She gave me a lot, so I thought I’d bring some home to share."

In truth, it had come along with the bouquets of red roses Shin Keir had sent to her dorm. She was sure it had been prepared by Butler Hong, she remembered his enthusiastic explanation about drying rose petals from their garden to make tea. Unfortunately, she hadn’t gotten the chance to try it after falling from the gazebo and catching a cold.

"That’s very thoughtful of your friend. Alright, let’s give it a try," Madam Zhi said, heading to the kitchen.

Yeri dashed off to the garden, Carpet trotting happily behind her.

Frankly, she had no desire to see her father just yet. So she gratefully took the excuse to play fetch with Carpet in the back garden.

But her reprieve was short-lived.

"Hey," came a familiar voice. Yeri turned to see her brother, Jj, walking over.

"Dad wants to talk to us."

She blinked. "You’re home? Since when?"

"This afternoon," Jj replied, hands in his pockets. "How’s school?"

Yeri pouted. "You’re getting pretty chummy with Young Master Keir lately. Did he give you seafood lunchboxes too?"

Jj raised a brow and chuckled dryly. "What was I supposed to do, say no? I was just the delivery guy. If I didn’t take them, all that expensive food would’ve gone to waste. Can you stomach wasting that much crab meat? Besides," he added, eyeing her, "aren’t you two together?"

"Shh!" Yeri jumped like a startled cat, frantically glancing around as if Shin Keir might suddenly emerge from the bushes. "Lower your voice!"

Jj raised his hands in mock surrender. "Alright, alright."

They walked side by side down the silent hallway toward their father’s study.

"You’ve seen those posts online, right?" Yeri asked, trying to sound casual.

Jj gave her a look. "You mean the ones about some former KGG employee causing drama at the café? Yeah, I watched the livestream. That customer’s clearly up to something."

He paused, then sighed, gently patting her head. "What are you so nervous about? This isn’t the first time the company’s been criticized or someone tried to create a scene to get money. Let the people who are supposed to handle this... handle it."

Yeri wanted to argue, to say she was the one being targeted. But before she could, they reached the study.

She glanced behind, Carpet was still following them. "Stay here, okay."

The dog wagged its tail but bolted toward the kitchen the moment Madam Zhi called.

"You glutton," Yeri muttered. This dog would follow anyone with food.

Inside, Master Zhi was already seated behind his desk, his expression as unreadable as ever, calm, serious, and vaguely intimidating in the way only fathers who run billion-dollar corporations could be.

He gestured for them to sit across from him.

First, he asked the usual things. "How are your classes? Any problems in school? Do you need anything?"

Jj responded first, talking about upcoming school events and how he’d chosen where to do his internship.

Yeri, on the other hand, was quietly sipping her tea like it was some magical calming potion, eyes glued to the cup and not her father’s gaze.

She knew him too well. The calm voice, the neutral expression, it was the quiet before the storm.

And then, after the small talk died down, Father Zhi slowly turned his laptop toward them.

"I want you both to watch something," he said.

The video began to play. And the moment Yeri saw herself appear onscreen, walking across Café Zhillion’s second floor holding a tray, she nearly choked on her tea.

She coughed violently, her face turning red, and quickly reached for a tissue. Her mind was already spinning.

Nothing in the footage was illegal or indecent. No drama, no confrontation, no shouting. It was simply her, in uniform, delivering coffee.

But when you’re guilty in your heart even the most innocent thing could feel like a death sentence.

She felt like the room suddenly dropped ten degrees. Her fingers twitched over the edge of her chair. Father Zhi hadn’t said a word yet, but she could feel his gaze.

"It wasn’t me... I didn’t do it on purpose," Yeri muttered, voice barely above a whisper, making her sound even more suspicious in the heavy silence of the room.

The surveillance footage was clear as day. It showed Lucia Hera yanking the tray from Yeri’s hands, causing the coffee cup to slip, shatter, and splash hot liquid between the two of them.

There was no aggression on Yeri’s part, only confusion and mild panic in the moment.

Yet Yeri felt no relief seeing the truth with her own eyes. Her heart continued pounding like it was trying to punch its way out of her chest.

"That lunatic!" Jj blurted, then turned to Yeri, his tone shifting to concern. "And you didn’t tell us about any of this? Did you get burned? And your leg?"

Yeri lifted her leg and pointed, "It wasn’t that bad. Look, no scars. It’s already healed."

Zhi Corporation never skimped on its security systems, and this case was no exception. Not only was the visual footage crystal clear, but their premium audio recorders also captured the entire exchange between the women, concise and indisputable.

To Father Zhi, what concerned him wasn’t public backlash or potential media chaos. No, like Jj, what bothered him most was the fact that his daughter got hurt and kept it to herself.

"When I asked you to work part-time," Father Zhi said, voice low and stern, "I reminded you to carry yourself with dignity. As a Zhi, you represent this family even if you wear a different uniform. But that doesn’t mean you’re supposed to accept being bullied or falsely accused."

"Dad, I wasn’t there as your daughter," Yeri replied, trying to keep her voice calm. "I was just a part-time café employee. It was just a small scuffle...I didn’t think she’d go full crazy and start live-streaming lies all over the internet. Honestly, she should be worried once the footage goes public."

"That’s not the point," Jj interrupted, eyes narrowed. "You got hurt and didn’t bother to say anything. When did you grow up, huh? You used to scream like a banshee just from falling off the bed."

Yeri shot him a deadly glare, cheeks burning as childhood memories flashed through her mind.

"Anyway," Father Zhi continued, ignoring the sibling squabble, "that woman clearly knew there were surveillance cameras in the café. She still chose to make a scene and go public. That tells me her goal isn’t just compensation or an apology."

"She probably has another motive," Jj agreed, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "Also, why wait a week to speak up if it was such a big deal?"

Father Zhi leaned back, folding his arms. "KGG has contacted us. They said they’ll handle the legal part on their end. On our end, the company will officially release the CCTV footage to clear your name."

Yeri’s shoulders slumped in relief. "Can you... blur my face?"

"No need," her father said. "We will use the angle of the camera that only shows your back."

Yeri almost exhaled in peace until a familiar voice suddenly echoed from the laptop.

["The daughter of Zhi Corporation and sister of a friend doesn’t need to apologize..."]

Shin Keir’s smooth, deep voice rolled into the study like a cold breeze.