Chapter 78

Fletcher burst into laughter the moment he heard Slater speak. "And what could be so important for you?"

Slater let out a click of his tongue, pretending to be wounded. "Dad, you make it sound like l've got nothing better to do than fool around."

With his smile lingering, Fletcher asked, "Alright then,what's this big secret you're keeping?"

Slater rubbed the back of his neck, hesitating before admitting, "Fine, maybe it's not exactly the kind of thing you'd call big."

That confession made his parents and grandfather laugh even harder.

Straightening up, Slater spoke with a sudden gravity."But what I'm about to say will definitely surprise you."

The laughter faded at once, and every eye turned toward him in expectation.

Slater leaned in a little, lowering his voice as if sharing a secret. "The doctor who cured Grandpa's leg, Dr. Willis, is actually Alec's daughter."

Shock rippled across the table, leaving them speechless for a moment.

Barrie narrowed his eyes, the astonishment written clearly across his face.

Fletcher's gaze met his wife's, both of them struggling to believe what they'd just heard.

Marietta leaned forward, doubt filled her voice."Slater, are you absolutely sure? When we visited the Willis family, they told us Dr. Willis wasn't Alec's daughter. Why are you saying otherwise now?"

Slater chuckled at her skepticism. "Mom, that day only Kaia was at home. Naturally she wasn't the doctor. Remember, the Willis family has two daughters."

Her words trailed cautiously. "So you mean..."

"Yes," Slater confirmed, his eyes gleaming with admiration. "The real Dr. Willis is Kaia's elder sister,Verena Willis."

Barrie remained silent, lost deep in thought as the revelation settled over him.

Fletcher frowned in doubt. "You mean the one engaged to lsaac? She doesn't seem to have a favorable reputation. Maybe Isaac's dislike for her is what drove him to strike at the Willis family and stir up all this trouble."

Stories about Verena had already reached Fletcher's ears. What he'd heard wasn't just unfavorable-it was downright disgraceful. Still, as a well-educated man, he chose his words cautiously to leave her some dignity.

Slater's voice rose in protest. "Not have a favorable reputation? That's all Kaia's doing. You don't know how conniving Alec's younger daughter is. She's a compulsive liar who floods the internet with her nonsense, trying to ruin Verena's name. She tells everyone Dr. Willis is unattractive, arrogant,dishonest, and useless."

He then turned toward Barrie and said, "Grandpa.Mom and Dad haven't met Dr. Willis, but you and l have. Do you honestly think Kaia's smears make sense? Just her looks alone-how many women in Shoildon can match her? And her personality? She's gentle to the core. As for her skills, they're beyond doubt. Anyone bold enough to operate on you has to be at a professor's level at least."

Barrie sat in silence, his expression serious as he reflected. Rumors had never mattered to him anyway.All that counted was that Dr. Willis had proven herself to be one of the best physicians in Clokron.

Slater leaned forward, continuing firmly, "And let's clear up another falsehood. The talk about lsaac being unhappy with her? That's absolute nonsense."

Thinking back to what he'd witnessed earlier atthe bar, Slater allowed a smile. "If anything, Isaac looks more than pleased with Dr. Willis."

Fletcher's expression tightened with uncertainty."SO everything I've heard about her...are you saying none of it's true?"

Slater thumped his chest with confidence. "That's right, Dad. You can believe me-those stories are nothing but gossip."

Marietta leaned in and asked sharply, "Then tell us,how exactly did youlearn all this?"

Every eye at the table shifted to Slater, waiting for his explanation.

Slater went on to recount what had unfolded earlier that night.

When he finished, the group grew quiet until Barrie finally let out a weary sigh. "What are we supposed to make of this? Should we still be stepping into Alec's club issues?"

After a moment of thought, Barrie tapped his cane against the ground, his thick white brows knitting ìtogether. "Alec is Dr. Willis' father, and Dr. Willis herself saved me. If that's the case, I can't simply turn a blind eye."

Fletcher noticed the hesitation in his father's voice and spoke carefully. "Dad, if Isaac moves against the Willis family not because he dislikes Verena, then he must have another reason. Why don't we ask Beckett to hold off on shutting down the Willis Group's club for a couple of days? We can wait until we hear Isaac's side before deciding what to do. How does that sound?"

Barrie rolled the bead at the top of his cane between his fingers, and then gave a firm nod. "We'll do it that way."

The following morning, inside the CEO's office at Willis Group, Alec sat behind his desk. Days of sleepless nights had left him thinner, with heavy shadows beneath his eyes. He looked more exhausted than ever.

Before one crisis calmed, Bennett Group swooped in and took several key projects right out from under him.

Problems were piling up everywhere, and Alec struggled to keep the company afloat.

By dawn, he was already on the phone, calling old partners and anyone with influence still left in his contacts. Whether it meant leaning on friendships or lowering himself with flattery, Alec refused to miss a single chance to fight for Willis Group's survival.

Alec forced a stiff smile as he spoke into the phone."Have you eaten yet? If not, let me treat you. And if meeting is a hassle, I can always send breakfast over."

The voice on the other end was rude. "Forget it, Mr.Willis. Let's not waste time. If this is about your club,then don't bother calling again."

A twitch crossed Alec's face. "We've been partners before. Couldn't you at least-"

The call cut off before he could finish.

"Hello? Hello?" Alec pressed the phone back to his ear, but the line was dead. HHe tried calling back, only to be ignored.

Even those who once called themselves friends wanted nothing to do with him when things turned bleak.

His complexion drained, Alec quickly moved to dial the next number.

"Hey, are you free this week? Let's grab a meal. Pick any place you like-"

The voice on the other end cut him off, speaking briskly. "Alec, don't bother with small talk. I know the issues of your club have got you stressed, but there's nothing I can do."

His knuckles tightened on the edge of the table."When you launched your company, I was the one who stood as your guarantor. Now that Willis Group is in trouble, you can't just turn away like this."

The man on the other end answered, "Of course l remember what you did for me, Alec. But things are different now. Beckett is carrying out lsaac's orders.l may know Beckett, but not nearly well enough to sway him."

Alec heard the dismissal beneath the polite tone.Realizing there was no use dragging it out, he muttered a few half-hearted thanks before hanging up.

A wave of anxiety gripped Alec so tightly that his vision blurred, and he quickly reached for a bottle of pills, forcing a few down.

Just then, his phone buzzed. For days he had been the one dialing number after number, so the sight of an incoming call felt almost strange.

Without bothering to check who it was, he snatched up the call.

"Alec, I've got some good news for you," a cheerful voice remarked.

Hope flickered in his chest as he asked quickly "What news?"

"You've been worried about your club being shutdown, right? I had a friend close to Beckett dig around, and they just told me the Lyons family stepped in. They convinced Beckett to ease up and lift the lockdown for now."

Shock and joy hit Alec all at once, and he shot to his feet. "The Lyons family? Are you sure this is solid?"

"Of course. You think I'd play around with something like this?" The caller reassured him.

The certainty in the voice left Alec convinced. The problem wasn't gone completely, but for now,he had some breathing room. At least Isaac hadn't slammed the doors shut permanently in one decisive move,which was exactly what Alec had been dreading.

Relief spilled out of him in a long exhale. "You're right, I overreacted. Thank you for this. I owe you a big meal soon."

After ending the call, Alec pressed his fist against his forehead, confusion creeping in. He had thought the Lyons family wanted nothing to do with him, maybe even held a grudge. So why step in now? Whatever their reason, he knew he needed to call them himself-both to thank them and to understand what game they were playing.

Alec dialed the Lyons family's private number.

Inside the Lyons residence, Slater was halfway through breakfast with Barrie when the house phone began to ring.

"Who's calling so early?" Slater murmured as he tore off another bite of bread.

The butler checked the screen and answered, "It's Alec Willis."

Slater arched a brow, already guessing the reason behind the call.

"Hand it to me," he said, reaching for the phone.

Barrie shot him a warning look. "Slater, don't fool around."

"| won't," Slater assured quickly. "But Alec deserves to hear the truth." With that, he accepted the phone and hit the answer button. Alec's voice came through, formal and steady. "Good morning. Is Mr. Barrie Lyons available?This is Alec Willis, CEO of Willis Group."

Slater leaned back in his chair, answering casually,"My grandfather's right here. Say what you need-he can hear you."

"Alright," Alec replied, hesitation creeping into his tone. "A friend told me the lockdown on our club was lifted for now. Did Mr. Barrie Lyons make that happen?"

Slater straightened his posture, responding clearly,"Yes. My grandfather did intervene."

Alec opened his mouth to thank Barrie, but Slater cut in before he could. "If you want to thank someone,thank Dr. Willis. You're fortunate to have such a daughter."

A small crease appeared between Alec's brows. Dr.Willis...

The thought slipped out before he could stop himself. "Could it have been Kaia..."

"Hold on!" Slater chimed in sharply. "Don't go assuming Kaia is the one behind everything good.Last I checked, you've got more than one daughter."