Chapter 174

Verena was striking, polished, and talented-no wonder people held her in such esteem.

Yet Isaac, though he cloaked it well, felt a flicker of envy stirring in his chest, a shadow he dared not show Barrie.

Catching the urgency in Barrie's tone, Isaac knew the old man's concern was fixed on Verena. HHe kept his own voice calm, carrying warmth. "Barrie, don't trouble yourself. Verena is my wife. No one knows her heart better than I do, and I trust her completely."

That quiet certainty in Isaac's words drew out Barrie's hearty laugh on the other end. "Good, good! Trust is the foundation of everything. That's what most young couples today are missing. I'm glad you can trust Dr.Willis. Boy, it seems her care and effort on you have not been in vain."

Since Verena was tending to Isaac, Barrie gently shifted the subject toward Isaac's health. After a pause,he asked with caution, "Isaac, under Verena's care,have your legs shown any improvement? Is there still a chance you'll stand tall again?" Barrie had unwavering faith in Verena's skill. With her personally attending to lsaac, progress should have been only natural.

But his question was deliberate-it carried a reminder that Verena's gift as a physician was not to be underestimated or dismissed lightly.

At those words, lsaac's lips pressed together, and silence fell between them.

His gaze dropped, lingering on the area between his unmoving legs.

The world at large believed he was merely paralyzed.What they never knew was that the accident had robbed him of far more.

He sensed that Barrie wasn't only asking about Verena's treatment. The old man was also warning him not to mistreat her on the strength of idle rumors.

If Isaac admitted no progress to his legs, it would only deepen Barrie's worry about Verena.

After a long stretch of silence, Isaac finally spoke,his tone low but steady. "Our families have always been close,Barrie.I know you won't let this slip beyond us."

Confusion crept into Barrie's voice. "Isaac, what do you mean by that?" Drawing a slow breath, Isaac confessed, "To be honest, that accident didn't only cripple my legs. It left me with some issues in the private part."

Man to man, Barrie caught his meaning at once.

His jaw slackened, eyes widening with disbelief.

He had never imagined fate would strike lsaac with such merciless cruelty.

A sigh left Barrie, but Isaac did not sink into self-pity.Instead, a faint smile curved his lips, his words almost breezy. "But with Verena's treatment, those problems have been completely resolved. She also said that once she's back, she'll arrange surgery for my legs."

Stunned at first, Barrie soon erupted into delighted laughter.

Of course-this was Dr. Willis. She could mend even what seemed impossible.

And since Isaac was her husband, if she promised a surgery, then surely she already held confidence in its success.

Barrie's voice brimmed with excitement. "She's brilliant-simply brilliant! | always believed there was no illness beyond her grasp. Isaac, you'd better cherish her. If you let her endure even the slightest wrong,I'll be the first torise against you."

Had it not been for his own useless grandson, Barrie would long ago have wished for Verena to enter his family as a granddaughter-in-law.

Listening to Barrie heap praise upon Verena, Isaac's chest swelled with pride and quiet relief.

He replied, a soft smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, "Yes. The greatest blessing of my life was marrying her."

...

Meanwhile,Bobby-having spent hours sparring online with those wealthy young people-slumped across the sofa,utterly drained.

Annoyance gnawed at him. Running a hand through his hair, he scrolled through the earlierchatter in the chat group.

One wrote, "Not to belittle country folk,but let's be real-Verena never mastered proper etiquette.Honestly, her having an affair with some older man fits her perfectly."

Bobby shot back at once. "Nonsense! Verena is the most refined woman I've ever known!"

Another reply came swiftly. "Bobby, we get it-she's your kin. But defending your family with such obvious lies? That doesn't help your case."

Reading that, Bobby nearly burst with rage again.

What did they mean by "defending his family with such obvious lies"?

He wasn't covering anything-he was telling the plain truth!

"That's utter rubbish!" he fired back. "She's my family.If I don't defend her, who should I defend-you? Keep slandering her and I'll see to it your family's business crumbles."

Fury burned in him, his temples throbbing. But no matter how fiercely he argued, fresh chat groups sprang up, tossing mud at Verena.

He could keep throwing counterblows, but he couldn't guard every gate all day and night.

Out of options, he punched in Verena's number.

She picked up quickly.

"Bobby, what is it?" Verena's voice was gentle, flowing through the receiver.

Half his anger melted away at once. Worried she might misunderstand, he rushed to say,"Verena, first of all, I trust you. Don't ever think otherwise!"

His nerves tangled his words, and Verena let out a light chuckle. "Then what's troubling you?"

At last, Bobby released his pent-up fury. "That foreign news story about you-Kaia's been spreading it everywhere. No one cares about truth; they just keep slandering you. I've been fighting back, but no one believes me. I know you'd never do such a thing. Tell me the truth yourself, so I can defend you properly."

His voice rose in passion, as though injustice itself was strangling him.

When she heard his fierce defense, Verena's nose stung with emotion.

Since her grandmother's death, no one from her family had shielded her so steadfastly.

A rush of warmth flooded her heart, sharp and overwhelming.

Blinking back the swell of feeling, she answered gently, "Bobby, thank you for standing by me. But you don't need to quarrel with them. Whatever you say,they won't believe it. Coming from the Bennett family,it will only seem like you're protecting your own. As for the truth, let me tell you now."

She paused before continuing, "I went abroad to treat Maxton Fairclough. But his younger son, Erick, didn't want him to recover. To lower Erick's guard, Tobin and I agreed that I would appear publicly as his girlfriend.That's why the foreign press ran that piece. The whole point was to deceive Erick. Don't worry, though.Everyone in business circles already knows Maxton's been in a coma. The surest way to crush the rumor is for him to wake up and, with Tobin's help,set the record straight."

Maxton Fairclough?

Bobby blinked, astonished. "You mean Maxton of Smoothdeed Group?"

Verena nodded. "That's righnt."

Bobby let out a low whistle. Of course he knew Maxton's legend.

But something else shook him even more. "So you went abroad to treat him! Has he recovered?"

A calm smile curved Verena's lips. "The surgery succeeded. He should wake soon. After a few more days of rest, he'll stand with Tobin to set things right."