Chapter 55

At those words, Alec's eyes tightened in suspicion.Isaac-it could only be him!

In an instant, Alec grasped the truth, his body stiff and unmoving. Yes, without question, it was Isaac-it had to be.

The realization struck Alec that Isaac had made a move against the Willis family for Verena.

Yet what stunned him most was the speed of it. He had assumed it was only empty words, but lsaac had already taken action.

Dropping his elbows onto the desk, Alec buried his head in his hands, refusing to accept what was happening. More than ten years ago, on little more than a whim, he had poured in all his savings and struck gold with his investments. Wealth came overnight, yet he clung to the same business he had always known. In reality, no serious challenge had ever crossed his path.

For several years, the club had been his focus. He had poured his heart into it, only to watch everything unravel within hours. The Bennett family's pressure crushed his progress, forcing every plan to a halt. No -he had to find a way out, and quickly

Sometime after ten that night, a sleek black car rolled into the grounds of Willis Villa.

From the doorway, Laura watched Alec step out of the car while she reached for his briefcase. "Why did you come back so late tonight? Kaia and Luka finished their dinner long ago and are already asleep."

Normally, Laura paid him little attention, but tonight was different. Not bringing Verena along left her unsettled, and the unease made her unusually watchful.

"Are you hungry?" she asked, and then quickly turned toward the housekeeper. "Warm up the food."

"What's the use of reheating anything? Just the sight of you fills me with anger!" Alec barked.

Each time Alec dwelled on the company's problems that stemmed from Laura, fury surged through him Most men dreamed of marrying a virtuous wife, yet he was stuck with one who brought nothing but frustration and letdowns.

Laura's neck grew rigid under his shouting, and the smile on her face faltered. "Alec, why are you this upset?"

Alec's features contorted with rage. "You really want to know why I'm furious? If you hadn't picked a fight with Verena and cut ties with her, she wouldn't have run off, and Isaac wouldn't have shown up to demand payback! Because of you, our club that was about to open is now facing closure!"

"Closure?" Laura repeated, her brows knitting together in confusion. "What in the world is going on?"

After drawing several heavy breaths, Alec leveled a resentful glare at her. "Isaac sent his people to act on his command. He's backing Verena. That club was the product of years of my effort, and now, thanks to you,it's ruined."

Casting his eyes toward the living room,he asked,"Didn't you promise to apologize to Verena and bring her home? Then where is she now?"

Realizing there was no escaping the question, Laura averted her face with clear irritation.

"I went there,but she flatly refused to return with me.Instead, she summoned security and had me thrown out,leaving me utterly humiliated. I shamed myself for nothing. If you want her back so badly, then you go get her."

Alec had clung to the hope that if Verena came back, she might persuade Isaac on his behalf. Laura's words shattered that final chance, and his fury flared even hotter.

"Is your pride worth this much? Even now, you stay stubborn! Do you have any idea how much money vanished in a single afternoon? If the club stays closed,every last bit of our investment will disappear.Do you understand how many workers depend on us for their paychecks? When they come demanding their wages,then you'll learn what true humiliation feels like!"

To drive the point home, Alec made the situation sound even worse, hoping Laura would finally realize how serious things had become.

At last, Laura sensed the full weight of the problem,pressing her lips together to cover the panic stirring inside her. A spark of realization soon flickered in her eyes.

"Oh, of course!" Laura spun toward Alec, her earlier grim look replaced by sudden excitement. "How could we overlook something this important? Kaia healed Barrie's leg, practically giving him his life back! That was no small favor, and he owes us for it. With us in such dire straits now, how could he possibly refuse to help?"

The moment he heard her words, Alec felt a rush of relief, as if he had stumbled across a lifeline in the middle of his despair. Clarity washed over him at once.

With renewed energy, he exclaimed,"Yes,how could that slip our minds? Barrie treasures loyalty and gratitude. Since Kaia gave him such a favor, he'll be sure to repay it. Tomorrow morning I'll have the butler deliver a formal letter requesting an audience with him."

Early the following morning, Alec ordered his butler to take the letter he had prepared the night before straight to the Lyons family home.

Restlessly pacing through the living room, Laura murmured, "It's been so long since the letter was sent.Why hasn't there been any response?"

"Stop pacing back and forth in front of me. You're making me dizzy," Alec said with a frown from the sofa. "It hasn't even been that long since the letter went out. Sit down and be patient. Surely Barrie will want to read it thoroughly before responding, don't you think?"

Even as he spoke calmly, Alec's own nerves gnawed at him. He was more anxious than Laura and had already put business matters aside just to remain at home waiting for Barrie's reply.

Meanwhile, in the Lyons family's back garden, Barrie sat at a table enjoying breakfast, while his son Fletcher Lyons seized the rare chance to share the meal with him.

Their light conversation paused when the butler approached them.

Offering a slight nod to Fletcher, the butler handed Barrie a letter. "The chairman of Willis Group has written to you,requesting a visit."

"Alec Willis?" Barrie asked in surprise, taking the letter and scanning it quickly. "Our families rarely cross paths, so why is he suddenly reaching out to me?"

"What else could the reason be?" Fletcher remarked,handing Barrie a slice of cake. "Willis Group poured hundreds of millions into that club downtown,and just yesterday Beckett shut it down for failing fire safety regulations. He must be out of options and turning to you for help."

News of the closure had already spread through Shoildon like wildfire by yesterday afternoon.

Barrie, however, enjoyed the quiet of his own quarters in his old age and seldom paid attention to outside matters.

Setting the invitation down on the table, Barrie bit into the cake Fletcher offered. "How could a club of that size, backed by so much money, fail something as basic as fire safety checks?" Within business circles, greater sums of money always demanded stricter precautions. Everyone knew that being exposed by the simplest mistakes was the last thing they could afford.

Fletcher gave a knowing smirk. "Passing or failing safety checks depends entirely on Beckett."

Barrie dabbed his mouth with a handkerchief,confusion flickering in his eyes. "What did Alec do to offend Beckett?"

In on the truth, Fletcher shook his head with a faint smile. "It wasn't Beckett. The order came from lsaac."

Yesterday afternoon, when people close to Beckett asked about the details, Beckett openly admitted the command came from lsaac.

Had Isaac wanted his role kept secret, Beckett never would have revealed the truth.

By making it public, Beckett signaled that Isaac intended everyone to know he was the one behind Willis Group's club closure.

Fletcher's words only deepened Barrie's confusion."Isn't Isaac going to marry the Willis family's eldest daughter? Why would he act against them?"

Barrie struggled to make sense of it. Refusing to support his future father-in-law's business was one thing, but giving orders to sabotage Alec outright-what kind of logic was that?

Fletcher paused in thought,remembering when Slater had once said the Willis family's eldest daughter was unattractive and ill-tempered. He had scolded Slater then for spreading gossip, yet even now he couldn't help feeling pity for lsaac. Such a bright young man,but after that car accident...