Chapter 155

Kaia sat downstairs in Verena and Isaac's marital home,suspicion stirring inside her. What kind of call required so much privacy that Verena had to retreat to her room to answer it?

She was set on uncovering whatever hidden truth Verena was trying so hard to keep quiet.

With her curiosity getting the better of her,Kaia crept up the stairs, quietly trailing Verena to the second floor.

The moment the study door closed, Kaia pressed her ear close, hoping to pick up something,anything. To her annoyance, not a single sound made it through the thick door.

Kaia furrowed her brow, surprised at how well the door blocked out noise.

She leaned in, pressing her ear closer to the door,hoping to catch even the faintest sound.

Right as she did, the door swung open from the inside.

Verena stood there,her lips lifting in a sly, mysterious smile. "Were you just trying to listen in on my call,Kaia?"

Kaia froze mnid-turn, but quickly smoothed her features and returned Verena's smile. "You've got the wrong idea, Verena. I just wanted to talk to you, but when I got here and realized you were on the phone,I figured it was better to wait downstairs until you finished."

Verena's eyes lingered on Kaia, the corners of her mouth hinting at amusement. It seemed Kaia's ability to make up stories had improved, if only slightly.

Playing along, Verena nodded. "Alright. Go ahead.What did you want to say?"

Unbothered,Kaia replied, "Dad knows I came here today,and he asked me to check in about the club issue."

She hesitated briefly before going on. "Verena,we're both Dad's daughters, and with everything happening at home, we should be helping each other,right?Could you talk to lsaac and ask him not to give Dad a hard time?"

Kaia adopted the perfect image of a dutiful daughter,though her real feelings were far from caring.

In truth, she half hoped Alec would stay in trouble longer, since she had always hated his double standards.

Alec only saw her as a pawn, so she felt no need to bend over backward for him.

Verena had no doubt that Alec would send Kaia to negotiate.

With a smnirk, Verena replied, "That's a decision I can make myself."

Kaia blinked, momentarily caught off guard. She hadn't expected Verena to offer Alec any help.Wasn't Verena supposed to be too spiteful to lend a hand?

Kaia started to say more, but Verena's voice turned slow and cool. "But I don't owe him anything. After what he did to me, he can't expect any favors. I've never been known for mercy. If someone chooses to go against me, they'll soon regret it."

Back when Laura and Kaia forced her out of Willis Villa,Alec never spoke up for her.

When Kaia spread lies about her, Alec stayed silent.

On her wedding day, when Kaia slandered her, Alec offered no defense.

Alec now wanted her to set aside all the pain he had caused, act as though none of it ever happened, and still defend him.

Why should she even consider it?

Every word Verena spoke carried a message meant for both Alec and Kaia.

Kaia took a moment to process the meaning behind those words, and then forced a stiff smile. "Alright, I'lL let Dad know what you said."

Just as Verena was about to shut her door, another thought crossed her mind. She paused and, with a voice both cautioning and instructive, said, "One more thing. I don't want anyone waitingoutside my room while I'm working.If you need me, wait until I come out. And if you're bored, you can always catch a movie on the third floor."

With that, Verena shut the door firmly behind her.

Anger tightened Kaia's features as she glared at the closed door.

A cold snort escaped her, and she muttered, "Who do you think you are? Just wait, your downfall is coming."

...

Known for his knack for digging up secrets, Samuel got back to Verena in less than five hours. The first thing he said was, "Evelyn, the man backing the tattooed guy isn't an ordinary person."

Looking confused, Verena asked, "Who could it be?"

He responded with a question, "Do you know about Smoothdeed Group?"

Verena paused to think before replying, "It's one of the top players in both domestic and international finance.The founder,Maxton Fairclough,built it from the ground up and made quite a name for himself with several remarkable achievements."

After a brief pause, she asked, "Is this connected to him somehow?"

Samuel replied, "No, not Maxton. It's his younger son,Erick Fairclough."

Verena was familiar with the founder's legendary reputation, but knew little about the rest of the family.

"Erick Fairclough," she repeated, her eyebrow arching in confusion. "I don't know him at all. Why would someone like that want me dead?"

Samuel had gathered plenty of details and explained,"Earlier this year, Maxton suddenly fell into a coma.When he finally regained consciousness, he was gravely ill, and no doctor could determine what was wrong. His condition quickly deteriorated after that,leaving him bedridden and almost in a vegetative state.He has two sons and several daughters. Under normal circumstances, given his health, he should be preparing a will. His elder son, Tobin Flairclough, has always been the child he favors, and many believe there's a strong chance the company would have been passed down to Tobin. In other words, if Maxton had recovered and written a will, Erick likely wouldn't have received much, certainly not as much as Tobin.However,their father slipped into a coma before he had the chance to draft a will, and without one, the inheritance would automatically be split among all his children. That's why Tobin immediately began searching everywhere for a skilled doctor to save their father, but no one was able to help him. Even more strangely, a few of those doctors died under mysterious circumstances on their way to treat him."

Samuel paused, and then continued, "My research points to Erick being behind those deaths. He didn't want his father waking up. If Tobin tried to bring you in for treatment, Erick would have found out and decided to target you, just as he did the others. Right now, you're the doctor most likely to succeed in helping their father."

Hearing this,Verena's eyes darkened thoughtfully. "So it's a bitter feud between two brothers over the family fortune." Over the line, Samuel cautioned, "Erick is relentless.He never lets loose ends remain. Don't take him head -on."

Verena answered with a cool, steady voice, "I'l stay cautious. For now, my identity is still under wraps.That should keep me safe."

He agreed, "I'll forward all the detailed information to your email. I won't keep you any longer."

Verena thanked him. "Thank you,Samuel."

After their call ended, Verena spent a moment in thought, and then called Julianna.

Julianna answered and asked, "Evelyn, do you need something?"

Verena got right to the point. "Julianna, can you check if Tobin Fairclough ever reached out for my help while you were running the hospital over the past six months?"

Tobin Fairclough was the older sonin question.

Julianna paused. "Give mea second, I'll look into it."

After a brief pause, Julianna's voice came through the receiver. "Yes, Evelyn. He reached out to you earlier this year, but since you were busy then, I turned him down politely on your behalf."

Verena responded, "Give me his contact information."

Julianna replied, "Of course."

The moment their conversation ended, a new message from Julianna popped up on Verena's phone,displaying Tobin's number.