Chapter 48

Isaac's phone suddenly rang, breaking the awkward tension,and he picked it up at once.

From the receiver came the respectful tone of his assistant, Jacob Howard. "Mr. Bennett, I'm already outside the hotel."

Isaac's reply was calm and measured. "Alright. I'll be down shortly."

After hanging up, he turned toward Verena. "I'm heading to work now."

Verena's lips curved in a gentle smile. "Of course.Have a great day."

Isaac rolled his wheelchair toward the door, yet just as he was about to leave, Verena's soft voice stopped him. "Hold on a moment."

He paused and turned, catching sight of Verena walking over. She lowered herself to crouch in front of him.

He was about to ask what was wrong when she carefully lifted his tie and dabbed at it with a paper napkin.

Only then did he notice the corner of his navy tie had been touched by water.

His gaze fell on her intent expression, and his dark eyes brimmed with a feeling he could neither name nor deny.

When it came to him, she always caught the smallest of details, things even he overlooked.

"All set." Verena's smile bloomed, pulling Isaac back from his thoughts as his eyes rested on her face.

As she straightened his slightly rumpled tie, her voice softened like a spring breeze. "No matter how busy work gets, promise me you'll take care of yourself.Rest when you're tired."

Her eyes were clear as glass, filled with a warmth that seemed to seep into his chest.

For a fleeting instant, the scene resembled that of a wife sending her husband off to work.

Isaac's eyelashes quivered; his heartbeat leapt against his ribs, quick and unsteady.

In that moment, he had to admit one truth: he was deeply touched. "Mr. Bennett, there's a document for you to review."

By the time lsaac gatheed his wandering thoughts, he was already seated in the car.

Yet the storm in his chest had not calmed.

He glanced at the file Jacob held out from the front seat,but did not take it. Instead, his voice was low and steady. "Head to Willis Villa first."

The driver inclined his head. "Yes, sir." Then the wheel turned,altering their course.

Jacob quietly put the document away. But as he shifted, his eyes caught the sight of Isaac's tie-slightly crumpled, the corner dampened.

He blinked, startled. In the past, Isaac never tolerated even the slightest trace of disarray.

Had something shifted since last night?

Jacob remembered waiting nearly half an hour at the hotel entrance, only for lsaac to call and instruct him to return home.

"Jacob."

Hearing his name, Jacob straightened immediately "Mr. Bennett, what can I do for you?"

Isaac held his phone, lips pressed thin, his gaze lowered. "Next time Verena calls, no matter how busy I am,bring the phone to me at once."

Jacob froze for a beat, and then nodded quickly."Understood, Mr. Bennett."

For a second, he wondered if his eyes had deceived him.

Was Isaac...smiling?

It was hard to believe, not because he never smiled,but because the warmth in it resembled a man hopelessly in love.

Isaac pulled up Verena's number in his contacts, edited it, and pinned it at the very top.

The car drew to a halt outside Willis Villa.

"Mr. Bennett, would you like me to announce your arrival first?" Jacob asked cautiously.

Isaac's eyes narrowed on the villa gates, his brows knitting. His reply was cold as steel. "Unnecessary."

For the Willis family, empty formalities were not required.

Jacob nodded. "Alright." Then he moved to wheel Isaac forward.

At that hour, Alec had just finished breakfast and was preparing to leave for the office, while Laura,Kaia,and Luka were making their way downstairs.

The first to spot lsaac was Alec, who had just reached the living room entrance.

Surprise flickered in his eyes, but he quickly approached with a smile. "Mr. Bennett, when did you arrive? If you had told us earlier, we would have prepared coffee."

Laura and Kaia exchanged a quick glance.

Then,Laura rushed over.

Kaia,regretting her choice of pajamas, wished she had dressed better.Straightening her hair, she followed.

Only Luka remained at the table, eating his breakfast leisurely, his demeanor of a spoiled heir untouched.

He had heard that Verena left home yesterday, and the news secretly pleased him.

"Good morning, Isaac. Please sit!" Laura's smile was warm as she barked an order at the servant. "Don't just stand there-bring our finest coffee..."

"Don't bother," Isaac interrupted, his tone flat.

Where others plastered on smiles, his face remained unreadable.

Though seated in a wheelchair, the air around him was as commanding as a general on the battlefield.

Sensing something amiss, Alec's smile faltered."Mr.Bennett, is there something you wish to discuss?"

His first thought was Verena.

"There is indeed," Isaac answered. "It concerns my fiancée."

The Willis family exchanged startled glances.

Laura frowned, suspicion rising. "Isaac, what do you mean by that?"

Isaac's gaze lifted to her, a cold gleam flickering beneath his lashes.

Under that look, Laura's eyelids twitched, and a shiver ran down her spine.

"Isaac,why are you staring at me like that?"

His lips curved faintly, yet the smile carried an edge."I'm simply curious how you managed to drive my fiancée out of her own home."

The smile might have been polite, but the weight behind it pressed like a storm.

Kaia's heart froze-he was here for Verena

Alec thought bitterly that he should have foreseen Verena would bring Isaac into this.

He frowned at her lack of restraint.

But what mattered now was calming Isaac.

"Well, the truth is, Verena was just..." Alec was cut off by Laura, who shifted her tone to disdain. "So what if she was driven out? A daughter bold enough to challenge her own mother hardly deserves a place at home. Don't worry, lsaac. I only asked her to stay outside for a while. She'll return before the wedding.She grew up in a small village, accustomed to a carefree life. Without proper discipline, she'll only bring trouble to the Bennett family in the future."

Laura spoke as though even allowing Verena back was a gift.

Alec's face flushed crimson with fury.

Foolish woman!

But with Isaac present, he could not let his anger show. Isaac did not so much as glance at her. His voice was steady, his words striking like thunder. "You may see Verena as unimportant, but to me, she is one of a kind."

The declaration left the Willis family dumbstruck.

They knew all too well who lsaac was, the brightest heir of the Bennett family in Shoildon.

Even with his legs paralyzed, his shares and influence stood unshaken.

No one had imagined he would speak with such sincerity, such unmistakable affection.

At the table, Luka finally set down his glass after gulping milk, stunned.

He had never expected his eldest sister's charm to run so deep-deep enough to rattle Isaac himself.

Verena had truly turned the tide.