Chapter 72

The moment the car slowed, Bobby and Slater flung the doors open and sprinted toward the bar.

Bobby went ahead and shoved open the heavy soundproof door. A blast of music crashed into them,while colorful lights flashed across the crowd of customers.

Inside, the lighting was low, yet they spotted Verena right away at the counter across from the entrance.

Verena leaned against the counter in a slump, her face tense with discomfort. The sharp smell of alcohol filled her nose, and her stomach turned uneasily.

She made an effort to sit upright and muttered a few broken words under her breath.

Gavin thought she was talking to him, so he bent closer. "Huh? What's wrong?" he asked. Verena eased off the stool with a faint scowl. "think... I'm gonna be sick," she whispered.

The blaring speakers drowned her words, so Gavin leaned even nearer. "What did you say?"

"I said I'm gonna vomit!" Verena shouted in his ear,gagging as soon as the words left her mouth.

The meaning finally clicked, and Gavin grabbed hold of her arms. "Whoa, easy! Please, don't ruin my clothes!"

From where Bobby and Slater stood, the scene looked different. They saw her slip from the stool,and before she could walk away, a man across from her pulled her into his arms. His back faced the door,his face hidden, his wide shoulders in plain sight.

Exchanging a sharp glance, Bobby and Slater narrowed their eyes and edged closer.

Then Verena lifted her head. When they caught her face clearly, both men froze. It really was Dr. Willis!

Bobby's eyes stretched wide, and he grabbed his head with both hands. He had told himself in the car to be ready, yet standing here in front of her was still too much. Thinking about it had been one thing.Seeing it unfold with his own eyes was something else. He could hardly process that Verena was Dr.Willis, and every cruel word he had hurled at her before now echoed in his mind.

No one could have imagined it. The woman he had despised and tried to push away with all his might was the same one he secretly wished would join his family as his sister-in-law. The thought left him feeling completely ruined.

Heat crept across Bobby's face in raw embarrassment. It was a good thing Dr. Willis didn't know he was Isaac's brother. If she'd known the man she once saved was the same one who'd gone on to treat her so coldly, and that he was her future husband's brother, she wouldn't have hesitated to slap him.

His lips parted on reflex, but not a sound came out.The idea of lsaac tearing into him was terrifying enough, yet remembering the cruel things he had spat at Verena made him feel like ending himself was not far-fetched.

Beside him, Slater stood frozen in the same shock.The words "holy crap" lit up in his head like a neon sign. His jaw dropped so wide it could have fit an egg, and he gawked at Verena in disbelief. After all the times he had brushed aside the possibility, here it was-the truth. Dr. Willis truly was Alec's daughter.What a pointless chase that had been.

Since her call to Bobby earlier, Kaia kept flicking her eyes toward the bar's entrance, worried she might miss his arrival.

When Bobby entered with Slater at his side, Kaia's lips curled into a smirk. She hadn't expected him to bring company, but the thought pleased her. The more people around, the better the show would be.

Kaia rose to her feet, prepared to greet them, yet froze when she realized they had both come to an abrupt halt.

Tracing Bobby's gaze, Kaia spotted Verena in the arms of the man at the counter. The dim glow madethe scene appear almost intimate, like that of a couple.

A spark of excitement flickered in Kaia's eyes as she took in the sight. The timing couldn't have been better. With Bobby watching it unfold for himself, he had no choice but to believe Verena was disloyal.

Trying to hide the grin tugging at her lips, Kaia rushed to Bobby's side and clung to his arm. "Mr.Bennett,Verena..."

Bobby didn't so much as look at her and brushed her aside with a sharp wave. "Step away, don't get in my line of sight."

Her voice broke off in shock. She pressed her hand to the spot where he had shoved her and asked in disbelief, "Mr. Bennett, why are you..."

His sudden wide-eyed stare toward the counter drew her eyes in the same direction. There she saw Verena pressed close against the man, his head angling down for a kiss. They were kissing right there.

Gavin caught Verena every time she lurched forward, struggling desperately to steady her. Her body sagged uncontrollably, and after fighting the urge for several moments, she lost the battle.

Clutching his arm, she shook her head in weak defeat. "I can't do it anymore, Gavin. I really feel like I'm going to be sick."

Panic made Gavin's voice spill out in a rush as he tried to lead her forward. "No, no, Verena-Dr.Willis!Just a little longer, please. I'll get you to the restroom right away."

Before he could even finish the words, a sharp draft of air swept behind him. He moved on instinct,shifting sideways and turning to look, but he wasn't fast enough. A fist slammed straight into his face.The sudden sting forced him to drop Verena as his hand flew to his eye, and he stumbled several steps back in pain.

With no one steadying her, Verena reeled backward and braced herself against the counter. Her vision blurred, her mind foggy from drink, and she could hardly process what was happening. By the time she focused again, she saw Gavin pinned hard against the floor.

On top of him, Bobby straddled his chest and drove his fists repeatedly into Gavin's face.

Bobby's teeth clenched in fury, his voice tearing out of him with every blow. "You dared to touch my future sister-in-law? You think you can bully Dr.Willis? I'll beat you down for this, you bastard!"

The alcohol clouded Gavin's mind, and being attacked so suddenly left him dizzy and lost. Instinct alone guided him as his hands gripped Bobby's shoulders, flipping him over in a burst of strength to fight back. The struggle turned into a messy tangle on the floor, fists flying without thought. Even when they rolled apart and pushed themselves back to their feet, the fight refused to end, their bodies crashing against each other in unrelenting anger.

Slowly, Verena's senses sharpened, and she finally realized that Gavin had been dragged into a full-blown fight. When she saw Bobby about to slam a punch toward Gavin's stomach, panic shot through her. She darted forward and threw herself in front of Gavin, arms spread wide. "Touch him again and I swear I'll call the police," she shouted.

Slater, who had stood frozen for too long, finally snapped out of his shock. He rushed forward to grab Bobby's arms, pulling him back even as Bobby strained to lunge forward again. "Bobby, get a hold of yourself! Calm down!"

From her spot a short distance away, Kaia kepot her eyes fixed on the chaos with growing confusion.This was not how she had imagined the scene at all.Instead of turning his anger toward Verena, Bobby had attacked the stranger with a fury that carried the unmistakable air of a man protecting his own family.

The sound of Verena's voice made Bobby freeze,his eyes widening at her in disbelief. Did she actually threaten to call the police on him, just to protect this man? Did that mean she truly had something to do with him? For a brief moment, Bobby couldn't decide which version of Verena was real. Was she the refined,thoughtful Dr. Willis? Was she the arrogant woman who acted superior and lectured him in those messages? Or was she this woman standing here,entangled with some questionable man?

His brows drew together in puzzled frustration, and Bobby asked, "Dr. Willis, why are you protecting himm?Why would you help a man like that? What are you to him?"

Verena's gaze lingered on Bobby, and in that instant she remembered-he was the same boy she had pulled from a wrecked car.

Her lips parted as if to answer, but a heavy surge of nausea climbed up her throat and stopped her short.

She leaned her elbow on the counter and propped her head, her face twisted slightly in discomfort as she stared back at Bobby. "You jumped in and attacked my friend without reason. Naturally, I have to step in for him."

Kaia broke through the crowd in a hurry and called out,"Verena."

One eyebrow arched, and Verena shot Kaia a glance that carried more indifference than interest.

From the tone Kaia used and the timing of her arrival,Verena immediately sensed there was trouble stirring beneath the surface.

Sure enough, Kaia's expression tightened, arranging itself into a mask of false concern, as if to say she was only trying to help. She spoke with mock indignation. "How could you treat Bobby so harshly just because of another man? He's Isaac's younger brother,you know."

Because the bar thundered with noise, everyone had to raise their voices to be heard.

Kaia placed heavy stress on the words "another man," practically shouting them as if she wanted the entire room to notice, deliberately drawing attention to Verena's supposed closeness with Gavin.

Bobby's head turned instinctively toward Verena at Kaia's words, his eyes narrowing with suspicion as he studied her face.

Right at that moment, a violent churn rose in Verena's stomach. She clamped a hand over her mouth and lifted her other hand, signaling for them to stop.

"Wait a second," she remarked, before turning quickly and hurrying toward the restroom.