Chapter 51

If Laura had realized earlier what was at stake, she would never have treated Verena in such a reckless manner.

Regret gnawed at her as she thought back-she should have heeded Alec's warning and avoided stirring the pot before Verena married into the Bennett family.

How had she let matters escalate into a quarrel with Verena? And to such a bitter extent?

Alec swallowed hard,desperate to salvage something from the wreckage. "Mr. Bennett, this is all a misunderstanding. You can rely on us-we'll bring Verena back home immediately."

"I don't care what you do." Isaac's cold voice cut like ice. "But mark my words-the one l intend to marry is Verena, not some so-called daughter of the Willis family. Don't dream of wielding your family name to press down on my fiancée."

Alec now fully grasped Verena's weight in Isaac's heart. What else could he possibly say? Without sparing him a glance, Isaac instructed Jacob to take him to Bennett Group.

Jacob gave a brisk nod and wheeled Isaac out of the villa.

That short visit had made one thing blindingly clear: Verena held a place in Isaac's life that no one could shake.

The moment Isaac left, Alec's anger erupted like a dam breaking.

"See the mess you've caused!" he thundered, pointing a trembling finger at Laura, his whole body quaking.

Laura stiffened her spine, casting aside her earlier fear,and retorted with steel in her voice, "What did I do? It was Verena, that stubborn girl, who stormed off on her own. How is this my fault?"

"You're still arguing?" Alec's face burned crimson as he lifted his hand toward her.

"Well,well... are you going to strike me now?" Laura's voice rose with sharp sarcasm. "Wasn't it you who allowed me to go upstairs to discipline Verena? And now,with things gone awry, you wash your hands clean and lay all the blame on me?"

Her words pierced Alec to the quick "I did let you discipline her, but I never told you to throw her out!" His face tightened,breath heavy."And Kaia-you used to be obedient. How did you turn so reckless the moment your sister came to live with us?"

"Dad... how can you say that?" Kaia's eyes widened,stunned by his sudden scolding.

Meeting his cold, furious gaze, Kaia parted her lips,only to feel a surge of anger and resentment twisting inside her.

She had never imagined Isaac would defend Verena with such ferocity, shattering her plans and leaving her humiliated.

Her resentment turned not only against Verena but also against Alec for his fickle nature.

Kaia had long known her father measured worth by profit.

Whoever shone brighter and promised greater gain would receive his favor.

Thus, she had trained herself never to stumble, never to err.

Yet she had not foreseen that lsaac's cutting words would overturn Alec's treatment of her compared to Verena. Hatred flickered in Kaia's eyes, though she clenched her fists to keep it hidden.

She despised Verena. She despised Alec. To the very marrow.

Seeing Alec's wrath turn toward Kaia, Laura rushed to shield her, protesting anxiously, "What does this have to do with Kaia? I won't let you speak to my daughter that way."

But Alec, recalling Isaac's warning, trembled with fury and shouted, "So Kaia is your daughter, and you conveniently forget that Verena is also your daughter?"

"Yes, Verena is my daughter-I haven't forgotten,"Laura snapped. "But so what? Sooner or later,she'll marry into the Bennett family and stand against me.She already disrespects me without shame-why should I treat her with kindness?"

Alec's chest heaved as he saw the cold indifference in her eyes. She still hadn't grasped the gravity of the matter.

His voice cracked with rage. "If you know she's marrying into the Bennett family, can't you see how easily they could crush us without even lifting a finger?Have you lived in comfort so long that you've forgotten the hardships we clawed through to reach this point? Teaching Verena a lesson is one thing,but you dared to drive her from our home!" He sucked in a breath and shouted, "Laura, how can you be so heartless!"

"You think I'm the villain?" Laura sneered, rolling her eyes. "Alec,weren't you the one who allowed me to teach Verena a lesson? Without your approval, would I have dared? Now that it's gone awry, you pretend to be righteous and throw all the blame on me. Stop acting like a saint!"

After decades together, Laura knew every crevice of Alec's mind and laid his hypocrisy bare with a few words.

Humiliated before his children, Alec's fury boiled over.

He ground out between clenched teeth, "You shameless liar!"

Laura shot back instantly, "Liar? Then what are you?A cunning fox? Or a hypocritical pretender?"

Pushed past his limit, Alec raised his hand, ready to strike her.

But Kaia and Luka rushed forward, pulling them apart

Laura, clutched by Kaia, snapped coldly, "Let go, Kaia I want to see if he truly has the guts to hit me."

"Madwoman! Lunatic!" Alec spat, straining against Luka's grip as if to lunge again.

"Enough! stop causing unnecessary drama!" Luka's voice thundered across the room, cutting through the chaos.

Alec and Laura froze, and once Alec ceased struggling,Kaia released her hold on her mother's shoulders.

All three turned to Luka.

Luka took in the sight-his father's disheveled suit, his mother's tousled hair.

His frown deepened. "Dad, Mom, I know you're furious about Verena, but don't forget Isaac's words before he left. He said plainly he will only marry Verena-not a daughter of the Willis family. The meaning is crystal clear. Whether she returns home or not, his decision stands. But now that she's stormed out in anger, if we fail to win her forgiveness before the wedding,she will turn Isaac against us. And the Bennett family can topple us as easily as snapping a twig."

Luka exhaled, speaking with calm reason."The priority now is not to quarrel but to devise a strategy to mend this. Otherwise, all our shouting will only hasten our downfall."

The other three Willis family members had been swept away by emotion, blind to reason. Only Luka, standing a step outside the fray,kept his head cool and pinpointed the crux of the matter.

Hearing his clear analysis, Alec felt a sting of shame,though he masked it.

Straightening his back, he smoothed his collar and forced composure.

Clearing his throat, he nodded stiffly. "Luka is right.We cannot afford to offend Isaac. The urgent task is to fix this matter at once."

Laura, too, steadied herself after Luka's sober reminder.

The four Willis family members sank onto the sofas,their minds heavy with worry as they pondered a way out.

After a long silence,Alec finally broke it.this moment, there is only one solution."