Chapter 43

Laura gently clasped Kaia's hand. With a soft determination in her voice, she said, "Kaia, you don't need to be afraid. I'll make sure your pain means something."

Alec blinked in shock. "What did I just hear? Are you seriously talking about Barrie Lyons from Shoildon?"

Tilting her chin with quiet pride, Laura replied, "Who else besides the influential Lyons family could deserve Kaia's talent?"

Alec dropped his gaze to the floor and sank into thought.

Rumors from countless business events drifted back to him. Everyone knew Barrie's leg injury had left him nearly crippled.

Living with such relentless agony in old age was nothing short of tragic.

Yet somehow,Kaia had managed to restore him?

The Lyons family's reputation for paying back favors was legendary.

If Barrie's suffering had finally ended because of Kaia the Willis family would stand to gain more than anyone could imagine.

That realization settled over Alec, and he finally loosened his grip on Laura's arm.

Just as Laura started toward the staircase, Alec called out, "Verena deserves to be punished, yes. But don't go overboard. The Bennett family may not hold the same weight for us later on, but it would be foolish to turn them into enemies."

Only a couple of dismissive grunts left Laura in response.

Dragging Kaia with her, she marched straight up to the third floor. Outside Verena's room, she pounded hard against the door.

"Verena! Come out here right now!"

Inside, Verena froze at the sound. She already knew Laura was coming to punish her for Kaia's sake.

The door swung open, and Laura's hand immediately slashed through the air in an attempt to strike.

Verena's reflexes took over. She caught Laura's arm and shoved it aside.

Unfazed,Laura swung again with her other hand, only to have Verena block the attack a second time. Still unwilling to give in, Laura lifted her arm for another blow. But this time, Verena seized her wrist,twisted sharply, and forced her into a lock that stopped her cold.

Laura's voice broke into a pained cry. "Let go of me!l said let go right now!"

At last, Verena loosened her hold and fixed her mother with a blank stare. "Tell me, what is it you really want?"

Kaia rushed to Laura's side and clutched her hand, her eyes darting to the red welt forming on her wrist.

"Mom, are you hurt?" she asked anxiously.

Rage burned hotter in Laura's chest than the sting in her arm, the defiance mattering far more than the mark.

She leveled a hateful glare at Verena. "Shameless girl!It wasn't enough for you to torment your sister; now you dare strike at your own mother?"

Verena's gaze didn't waver. "You came at me swinging without cause. Should I just stand still and take the blows?"

Laura gave a bitter laugh. "Don't forget who l am.l gave you life. If I decide to discipline you, then you

have no choice but to accept it."

For a mother to speak such words to her child was almost beyond belief.

A faint tremor passed through Verena's lashes, and then her lips curled into a cold smile. "If that's how it is, stop calling me your daughter. I never once saw you as a mother anyway."

The defiance cut Laura like a blade.

She drew in a deep breath and gave a sharp nod. "So be it. If you refuse to recognize me, then I'll cast you off myself. From this moment on, you are no longer my daughter. Pack your things and get out of this house!"

Her hand thrust toward the stairs, her eyes glinting with icy disdain, untouched by grief or regret.

Get out? Verena let out a short, mocking laugh.

This house had never carried the warmth of a home for her anyway.

She strode past them without hesitation and spoke over her shoulder. "If we're breaking ties, let's make it absolute.From today, you are not my mother, and | am not your daughter. Remember this, Mrs. Willis-whatever I achieve in the future belongs to me alone.The Willis family has no claim on it." What Laura had truly wanted was a daughter who bowed her head.

There was something about the way Verena held herself that turned Laura's stomach.

As she listened to her speak, Laura couldn't hear anything but pride swelling in a voice that hadn't earned it.

She couldn't believe that Verena dared to talk about achievement in the future and warn them not to claim on it. If Verena hadn't been born as her daughter, she wouldn't be standing there at all, wrapped in privilege that was never really hers to claim.

In Laura's eyes, it was because of her upcoming wedding with Isaac that Verena dared to talk like that.

Pushed past the edge of reason, Laura retorted, "The Bennett family wants a daughter from the Willis family.You're not mine, so stop dreaming about marrying into that family."

Beside Laura, Kaia stood stunned. She hadn't believed Laura would actually cut Verena off at such a decisive moment.

A quiet smile tugged at Kaia's lips nonetheless,for this was exactly the outcome she had long desired. Now, Verena was no longer a rival for affection,no longer a daughter of the Willis family, and most importantly, no longer a candidate to marry lsaac.

Her wish was fulfilled.

The sound of Laura's frigid words trailed after Verena,halting her steps and drawing a dry laugh from her throat.

Laura seemed convinced that stripping her of status and denying her a marriage into a wealthy clan was the sharpest blow she could deal.

Yet Laura had never truly understood her daughter's heart.

Verena turned with a cold expression. "All right then.But don't fool yourself into thinking the Bennett family are yours to manipulate. When the consequences come, you won't be able to shoulder them. I'll be watching when it happens."

Neither Laura's glare nor Kaia's shocked face slowed her. She walked out firmly, without glancing back.

Kaia's mouth fell open. She had expected begging,perhaps desperate pleas for forgiveness, not this calm rejection.

In Shoildon, countless women longed to marry into the Bennett family, yet few had the chance.

Verena might've had a pleasant face, but without influence or real ability, women like her had no place standing beside a family as prominent as the Bennett family.

Becoming Isaac's bride as the daughter of the Willis family was the best thing that had ever happened to her.

And yet, Verena just let it go-no sorrow, no hesitation,nothing at all?

Neither Kaia nor Laura could stomach the way Verena carried herself, as though she were somehow above them both.

Confusion flickered across Kaia's face, while Laura's eyes remained fixed in disbelief at the spot where Verena had disappeared.

In her mind, Verena should have been nervous,maybe even desperate, instead of leaving with such ease and composure.

That very expectation had driven Laura to threaten her.

Yet the reply she had received left Laura feeling, if only for an instant, like the tables had turned and she was the one standing on uncertain ground. By the look on Laura's face, Kaia understood her mother hadn't truly meant to sever ties; the threat had been meant to intimidate, not finalize.

Verena, however, held too much pride, and unless Laura reached out to mend things, there was no chance she would ever agree to a marriage with the Bennett family.

Afraid Laura might later regret her words and try to smooth things over, Kaia chimed in quickly, "Mom,don't take her too seriously. She's probably just lashing out in anger. There's no way she would actually throw away the chance to marry into the Bennett family."

The thought gave Laura pause, but soon she nodded.After all, who would willingly give up such a good marriage?

A sharp snort escaped her. "That girl is stubborn to the bone. Let's see how long she pretends to stand firm."

To Laura, Verena's defiance was nothing more than a performance she expected to collapse in time.