Chapter 61

Verena let out a regretful sigh. "Had I known, I would have ignored the calls, just so you'd come seeing me."

Isaac felt a sharp tingle in his ears at the sound of her soft tone, yet his chest tightened with urgency.He swallowed before saying in a hushed, firm voice,"Verena, I'm asking you something serious."

Realizing his concern was genuine, Verena dropped the teasing and said reassuringly, "Relax, your mother only asked me out for coffee. She didn't make things difficult."

Isaac struggled to accept that Danica would call Verena out without some serious purpose. Her calm words only stirred up a storm of uneasy possibilities in his mind.

He hesitated, and then asked with deliberate seriousness,"Did my mother... tell you to leave me?"

For a split second, Verena stood speechless. It dawned on her that lsaac was probably imagining one of those soap opera scenes where the male lead's mother marched in, tossed a check on the table, and snapped at the female lead, "Take it and stay away from my son!"

She laughed lightly and teased, "Isaac, have you been glued to soap operas lately?"

The easy, genuine laughter spilling from her lips showed Danica hadn't upset her in the slightest.Seeing she was mocking him, lsaac rubbed his eyebrow and mumbled, "I don't watch that stuff."

It was true he never watched such shows,but his nerves often pushed his mind toward unnecessary thoughts.

Verena lowered her gaze with a smile. She hadn't expected Isaac to worry for her this deeply, even without remembering their shared past, and the realization left her quietly content.

Isaac finally exhaled, relieved that his mother hadn't given Verena trouble."By the way," Verena said suddenly, recalling something. "I was wondering if you noticed any changes in that area when you woke up this morning."

The sudden shift in topic left Isaac taken aback for a brief moment.

Realizing she meant his condition, he pressed his lips together before answering simply, "No."

Verena went silent at his reply. With his situation,there should have been at least some small sign after the first use of the herbal ointment. Why was there none at all?

She asked again, "Did you feel even the slightest burning sensation?"

Isaac felt a chill run through him at her careful question.

He answered quietly, "No."

The call fell into silence, and Verena's voice did not come through. The room around him was so still that he could almost hear the pounding of his own heart.

Frustration pressed down on his chest until it was hard to breathe. Clenching his jaw, he blurted out,"When you worked with other patients, did they see results after only one treatment?"

Verena's shoulders sagged as she gave a grave reply."Yes."

She picked up on the sudden quiet on the other end and could tell lsaac was starting to worry, so she chimed in to ease his mind, "You don't need to be anxious. Everyone's body reacts in its own way..."

With near desperation, Isaac asked, "Have you ever had another case with no response at all, the way l am now?"

Verena's brows drew together. The word "yes"hovered on her lips, yet she couldn't bring herself to lie to him.

Tightening her fist, she lowered her voice and said,"No." Isaac said nothing, completely tuned out from whatever Verena was saying on the other end of the line. There wasn't a soul he could turn to. A flood of emotions such as shame, fear, uselessness, and a rising panic twisted through him like thick vines,tightening with every passing second as a bitter taste crept into his mouth.

Isaac lowered his head, the corners of his eyes rimmed with red, tears shining but refusing to fall.Had he been a fool to hope from the very beginning?He had swallowed countless pills, endured needle after needle, even gone under the knife, and still nothing had changed. Maybe he should never have started this endless road of treatment at all.

To him, staying by Verena's side while bound by his condition felt like he was only holding her back.

Isaac lowered his gaze, forced down the tightness in his throat, and quickly said, "Sorry, I've got something to handle. I'll contact you another time."

Verena parted her lips to respond, only to be met with the abrupt busy tone on the line. ···

Inside the Lyons family home...

"Slater, get changed into proper clothes. Put on something formal," Barrie said as he poulled his grandson toward his bedroom.

Slater had managed only two bites of his banana when Barrie snatched it away and threw it aside.

He wrinkled his brow in puzzlement. "Why, Grandpa?Isn't what I'm wearing good enough? Who are we meeting that makes you dress so formally? You're even in a suit."

Ever since his retirement, Barrie had preferred loose,casual wear and rarely bothered with such formal suits.

When Barrie mentioned the meeting two days earlier,he had told Slater only that they would see someone today, but he never revealed who it was.

Seeing Barrie dressed up so seriously and calling for the entire family to join, Slater's curiosity grew sharper.

Barrie kept tugging at his grandson's clothes as he explained, "We're going to meet your grandfather's lifesaver, Dr.Willis."

"Dr. Willis!" Slater's eyes sparkled, and he asked with excitement, "Why didn't you tell me before? Where is she living? Is she also in Shoildon?"

His excitement rang too loudly, and Barrie gave him a push into the room. "You'll know once we arrive. For now,get yourself ready."

After shutting the door behind Slater, Barrie turned and spotted Fletcher approaching with his wife.

Fletcher was dressed in a dark suit, while Marietta Lyons wore a coordinating outfit that made her look elegant and proper.

Barrie's eyes went to Fletcher as he asked, "ls everything prepared?"

Fletcher gave a confident nod. "Rest assured. Allthe gifts you requested have been arranged exactly as you wanted."

Barrie's face lit with satisfaction as he gave a nod of approval. Turning to the butler, he said, "Call the Willis family and tell them we're on our way."

With a slight nod, the butler said, "Yes." He then turned and walked inside to place the call.

The Lyons family's household was already full of movement, but over at theWillis Villa, the pace was even more relentless.

"Careful there, scrub the corners of that flower bed properly."

"Start on the stair railings-wipe them with a damp cloth first, and then dry them off thoroughly."

"Remove those coffee beans and replace them with the premium batch."

From the living room, Laura's voice echoed as she rattled off one order after another.

Even though the servants had already scrubbed the villa spotless the previous day, Laura demanded it be cleaned all over again.

"Laura." Alec came down the staircase while fussing with his tie. "Come see-how does this outfit look?Do you think the tie is too bold?"

Laura stepped over, fixed his tie with her hands, and smiled. "No, this looks refined. Today's just a private gathering, so there's no need to be overly formal."

Alec grinned in relief at her answer. "Good, good,then I'll wear this."

Laura, brimming with excitement, quickly asked,"And what about my outfit today?"

She stood there in a fine dress draped with an elegant shawl, radiating both affluence and poise.