Chapter 21

Kaia seethed inwardly. If these people wanted to know all about Verena, then she would paint them a picture of just how "outstanding" Verena was. For a split second, she did not feel so let down.

She straightened up right away, and then spoke with an offhand tone. "Verena is, more or less, a doctor.From what I've heard, she spent some time at a little clinic back in the village, picking up old remedies from a village healer who never went to school for it. Treating something as minor asa cold is probably her limit."

Cayden's brow furrowed as he processed that. A tiny clinic in the village? Taking care of nothing but a cold?Someone practicing folk medicine thinking she could perform surgery?

As Kaia spoke with that doubtful note in her voice, Cayden wondered how lsaac could have fallen for anything so outrageous. The whole story sounded likea farce to him. For Verena to claw her way into the Bennett family, she seemed willing to say anything. Pretending to have a fancy degree was one thing,but acting like she could perform actual surgery was going too far.

When he had thanked Kaia, Cayden turned and walked away.

As she watched him disappear into the distance, Kaia's lips curved into a sly smirk.

She had no idea who he would pass this information along to, yet the thought of Verena being dismissed as incompetent filled her with deep satisfaction.

After all, she wasn't even bending the truth. Verena really had been nothing more thana village-trained healer in a remote place.

···

When the meeting ended, Isaac's assistant handed him his phone. "Mr. Bennett, Mr. Moore tried calling four times."

Isaac tugged at his tie and accepted the phone. "Alright. You can go now." After the assistant walked out, Isaac dialed Cayden's number.

The moment the call connected, Cayden spoke in a rush. "Isaac, listen to me, you cannot allow Verena to operate on you. I just discovered she used to work in a small clinic. She learned everything from a self-taught healer in her village and never went through proper medical training. I've studied your case for months, and even then I only have a thirty percent chance of success. Yet she, who never even set foot in a real medical school, claims she has seventy percent. Isaac, don't you think that's strange?"

With a grave tone, Cayden added, "Besides, a surgery of this scale isn't something to hand over to just anyone. Isaac, you have to take responsibility for yourself. Your condition has already gone through too many failed procedures, and you know better than anyone how dangerous another attempt could be. I've studied several different approaches, but none promise success. And with medicine advancing every day, if the timing isn't right, we can still wait. But if this operation goes wrong and causes permanent damage, you could..."

Cayden almost told Isaac he could end up bound to a wheelchair for life, yet the words caught in his throat.

Isaac understood anyway. He sat frozen with the phone in his hand, letting Cayden speak without interruption.

Cayden continued, "Verena's entire experience comes from a tiny clinic, and she might not even know how to handle a scalpel properly in an operating room. You must not let her be the one to operate on you."

Suddenly recalling another option, Cayden interjected, "Isaac, you've heard of Evelyn Rowe, the famous surgeon overseas, haven't you? The mysterious doctor is one of the top authorities in this field. I reached out to them on your behalf, but because of certain complications, they haven't replied yet. Just give me two more days, and I'll find a way to get through to them."

Isaac understood that Cayden's concern was genuine. He bowed his head and stayed quiet for a long moment.

Cayden had made sense.

His faith in Verena had no solid ground. Maybe it was only because she had been the one to crouch beside him and speak after his injury. "Cayden, I appreciate it. I'll think it over again."

The following day, Verena opened a message from her assistant, Julianna Ford.

The message said, "Evelyn, I need your help. Do you remember that special patient you turned down before? He hasn't stopped hounding me since last night. He keeps insisting that only you can do that surgery. Could you at least check into it?"

Verena froze for a moment. To carry out surgery...

Verena remembered the day Shawna had been stretched out on the operating table, and just as she lifted the scalpel, Shawna passed away.

From that day forward, each time she tried to hold a scalpel, her right hand began to shake uncontrollably.

Nearly a month had passed since Shawna's death, and she had been struggling to step out from under that shadow.Yet every time she picked up a scalpel, her hand trembled without her control, a fatal weakness for any surgeon.

Verena let out a quiet sigh and answered, "It isn't that I'm unwilling. The truth is, I simply can't hold a scalpel right now.I need time to get past this, and I already have a special patient waiting for me."

After pausing to think, Verena added, "Just refuse him outright. If he pesters you again, give him my contact info and tell him to talk to me himself."

With no alternative, Julianna passed along her words exactly as they were.

Upon reading the reply, Cayden was overwhelmed with frustration and a sense of helplessness.

His connection with Julianna was the only reason he had been able to reach Evelyn. Since Evelyn had rejected him so firmly, how could he possibly keep begging?

Still, adding Evelyn to his contact list seemed like a smart move, and perhaps it might open a door later.

Yet after sending the friend request..

An hour slipped by. Another two hours went by.

Then three hours dragged on.

By ten hours, there was still nothing.

···

Time moved swiftly, and soon the day of Isaac'streatment arrived.

On the evening before the treatment day, Verena saw a message from Isaac pop up on her phone. "I'll be sending a driver for you in the morning."

Verena answered, "Alright."

After pausing for a moment, she added, "Don't be nervous. Stay calm. It's just an early-stage treatment."

Isaac sat in his study, his gaze drifting blankly toward a tree outside the window.

When he saw Verena's message, he laid his hand on his lifeless legs, lowering his eyes as his thoughts sank.

At dawn the following morning, Kaia returned from her run to see a glossy black luxury car waiting at the villa gates.

Kaia's beauty often made her stand out in Shoildon's circle of wealthy ladies. Before she even came of age,wealthy young men had already chased after her, and once the ceremony ended, even more suitors appeared.

The moment her eyes landed on a luxury car in front of her home, she assumed another admirer had come calling.

Kaia couldn't tell a thing about engines or brands, but the car's shine was striking enough to catch her attention.

With a bright smile, she brushed her hair into place, hurried across the drive, and knocked against the glass.

The driver rolled the window down, and Kaia folded her arms, acting like she was annoyed. "Would you mind not parking outside my place? I've said it before-I already have feelings for someone.Please let your boss know he should stop trying to reach out."

While acting indifferent, she stretched her neck for a quick glance inside, but the back seat was empty.

Unmoved by her assumption, the driver answered without emotion, "I'm here to pick up Miss Verena Willis."

Her grin vanished at once. "What did you just say?"

Using the exact same tone, the driver repeated, "I said I'm here for Miss Verena Willis."

Her chest swelled so tightly it felt as though it might burst wide open.

Her hands slipped to her sides, and she pulled on a strained smile. "Fine.I'll bring her out."