Chapter 85

Verena bent down beside Isaac, brushed a quick kiss across his cheek, and teased, "Snap out of it, dreamer.We're almost up."

The sound of her voice pulled him from his drifting thoughts, and when he turned toward her, a quiet smile spread across his face.

Their paperwork was finalized soon after.

An attendant handed over their marriage documents, and the pair left the courthouse with them clutched in their hands.

Verena lifted her copy proudly and nudged Isaac to raise his as well so they could snap a picture together.

Grinning brightly, she announced, "From this moment on, Mr. Bennett, you belong to me as my husband."

A strange haze lingered over Isaac as they left the courthouse, the reality of it sinking in slowly.

Everything felt unreal until Verena's playful declaration grounded him. Maybe their choice had been sudden,but there was no part of him that regretted it.

His head dipped, and a genuine smile curved his lips.

When he looked back up, Verena was already tapping away on her phone. He chuckled and asked, "What are you plotting now?"

Verena held her phone close to his face with a sly grin, her eyes glinting with mischief. "I'm telling the world,obviously."

On the glowing screen was her newest post: "Married to Mr. Bennett," with the proud photo of their marriage documents beneath it.

There was a light in Isaac's eyes, warm and full, and his chest tightened with something sweet, as if his heart had softened into syrup, slow and thick and impossible to resist. Pointing at the screen, he cleared his throat lightly. "Mind sending me that picture?"

Catching his meaning at once, Verena slipped the phone into her pocket, her expression deliberately puzzled. She pretended to frown and asked, "And what exactly do you need it for?"

The question caught him off guard, though it only took a second to realize she was toying with him.

A faint blush touched his face as he blinked and answered softly, "I want to post it myself."

His words slipped out so softly that the awkwardness in his tone was impossible to miss.

Heat rushed to Isaac's ears, and the sight of it sent Verena into a fit of laughter she couldn't contain.

She slipped behind him, leaned close enough for her breath to brush his ear, and whispered, "I already sent it over. Take a look at your phone."

Then, without waiting for a response, she gave the wheelchair a gentle push forward.

Pulling out his phone, Isaac saw a fresh notification waiting for him with her name attached.

Since he had silenced his device earlier in the courthouse, the message had gone unnoticed until now.

Tapping it open, he found the photo she had taken, and for the first time, he composed a social media post of his own.

His update read, "Fromn this moment, Verena, I am your husband."

The photo of their marriage documents stood proudly beneath the words.

Within moments, Shoildon's upper circles lit up with activity.

In the exclusive chat for the Shoildon's socialites, screenshots of Isaac's post spread like wildfire.

"Kailee, didn't your husband just strike a deal with Bennett Group? Were you aware of this?"

"You're kidding!"

"The Bennett family announced an alliance not long ago, and now they're officially married? That was fast!"

The chat turned into chaos, so much so that Kailee White's reply vanished under the flood of messages.

It wasn't until after the group chat was temporarily muted by the administrator that the group members noticed her reply. "I'm not really sure. My husband told me the wedding got pushed back, but obviously there's more to it than that."

When the group chat was unmuted again, the flood of messages started all over.

Inside the group chat for Shoildon's businessmen, new messages popped up one after another.

"Anyone else see the news about Isaac tying the knot?"

"I did! Thought my eyes were playing tricks from staring at reports all day."

"His decision makes no sense to me."

"Didn't he just move against the Willis family? I figured the wedding was canceled-so how did the registration suddenly happen?"

"The Willis family doesn't measure up to the Bennett family at all. Their eldest daughter is just a puppet.No way Isaac would want her."

"You're getting it wrong. The fact that he posted the marriage himself proves he values the Willis family's eldest daughter."

Meanwhile, in the wealthy young people's group chat, Isaac's post was screenshotted and sent around nonstop.

Shock filled the thread, with half the group dropping nothing but strings of exclamation marks.

"Kaia, can you believe it? Verena actually signed with Isaac!"

"Are my eyes broken,or did that really happen?"

"The girl from that nowhere town actually managed to land him."

"A country nobody ended up as Isaac's wife, and I can't even figure out why. What do I lack compared to her? And of all things, this is the very first post he's ever made! Ugh!" "Doesn't matter. She's probably nothing special to look at."

"Can you believe it? The golden boy ended up picking that woman. What a disgrace!"

Kaia scrolled through the flood of messages without typing a word.

Reading the insults aimed at Verena should have thrilled her, but Isaac's public declaration gnawed at her pride. Rage flared so strong she nearly hurled her phone, because deep down she knew lsaac was serious about this marriage. The certainty of it ate her alive with jealousy.

Across the chat, Slater's eyes narrowed as he read the comments, and he blurted out, "Unbelievable. Kaia's lies really kicked up a mess. How dare they drag Dr. Willis through the dirt?"

Closing the app with finality, Slater wasted no time and dialed Bobby directly.

The line connected before the first ring even ended.

"I'm losing it right now!" Slater exclaimed.

"Me too!" Bobby's voice echoed his frustration in perfect sync.

"Tell me, are wegoing to defend our goddess or not?" said Bobby quickly, his words tumbling out in a rush.

Slater didn't hesitate. "Damn right we are. Every single one of those people trashing Dr. Willis is going to regret it. And Kaia? She won't get away with it either."

Bobby's tone sharpened. "So, what's the plan?"

"Simple," Slater retorted. "Didn't you brag yesterday about snapping that gorgeous side profile of Dr. Willis?Hand it over. I need it now."

Bobby had guarded that picture the day before, brushing off Slater's demands. But now that it could serve a purpose, he sent it without complaint.

The moment the photo appeared on his screen, Slater's fingers flew across his keyboard, hammering out the words for a bold social media post.

"People keep underestimating Verena, but I've had enough of the nonsense. Time to clear the air. The truth is simple-Dr. Verena Wilis was the one who healed my grandfather's leg. Kaia's claim that she did itherself? Utter fiction. And honestly, who in their right mind would fall for such a lie?

Let's be real--those who act like fragile saints in front of others often have the darkest secrets. Reputationmatters, and l don't need to explain further. This so-called kind and gentle girl? She slanders her own sisterspreads lies, and pretends she's innocent, Tell me, Kaia, doesn't your conscience scream at you?Here's another thing. Some of you have been calling Verena unattractive, unpolished, just a country girwithout brains or background., Yet world-class specialists failed to solve my grandfather's condition, and shepulled it off. Does that sound lilke ignorance to you? Don't make me laugh. And about her looks-there's nodebate. Take one glance at this photo and you'll understand exactly why l call her a goddess."Slater attached the stunning side-profile shot of Verena and, with no hesitation, pressed the publish button