The Ex-Wife They Begged To Keep - Chapter 68: Chapter 68

Victor was restlessly chewing on his vegetables, stealing occasional glances at Albert.
This oppressive silence made Victor's hand holding the cutlery go stiff, and he couldn't even taste the food.
The silence at the dining table lingered for a while before Albert said, "You should set a wedding date with Regina."
Victor froze. He looked up, frowning deeply. "I've said I don't want to marry her."
Albert's face darkened, and his tone grew harsher. "This isn't up to you."
Victor put down his cutlery, staring straight at Albert.
"Dad, I didn't want to divorce Serena, but you forced her to leave. Now you're pushing me to marry someone else. What on earth are you thinking? If she hadn't been forced to go, things would be so much simpler now," he said.
Albert's face turned livid. He slammed his cutlery on the table and said forcefully, "What's done is done. Don't bring up Serena again. You have only two choices now."
His gaze was sharp and cold, like a judgment. "Either remarry Serena or marry Regina."
Victor stood up angrily. "Dad, you don't care about my feelings at all. Since I was a kid, you've arranged everything for me, and now you're even controlling my marriage. Have you ever thought about what I actually want?"
Albert gave a cold snort, his eyes sharp and disdainful. "Your position doesn't allow you to indulge your emotions. Everything about you must prioritize family interests."
Victor's chest heaved violently, but his gaze shifted from stubbornness to disappointment. "You're right, but there are some things I won't compromise on."
Albert laughed out of anger, his hands trembling slightly. "You'd better remember what you said today and not regret it."
Victor looked at his father's trembling hands but said nothing, then resolutely left Powell Manor. The moment the gate slammed shut, the living room fell into silence, leaving only Albert's deep and heavy breathing.
Victor drove away from Powell Manor in a rage. He irritably rubbed his forehead, almost flooring the gas pedal. As he neared Powell Villa, he caught a familiar figure by the roadside out of the corner of his eye. It was Eliza.
Victor thought, 'Why is she here? What's she doing standing by the road alone at this hour?' A surge of worry hit him, and he instinctively slowed down. Eliza seemed to be arguing with a man.
He parked by the roadside and took a few steps closer, then heard the man demand harshly, "What will it take for you to come back with me?"
"It's not the right time yet," Eliza shrank her shoulders, instinctively taking a step back. She dared not look the man in the eye. "I can't go back with you."
The man sneered. "You ran off with Oliver—"
Suddenly, there was the sound of footsteps. Eliza suddenly turned her head, and when she saw Victor, her face instantly turned even paler. She instinctively stepped sideways to block the man.
"Just go," Eliza urged in a low voice. "We'll talk about it later."
The man seemed about to say something more, but Eliza cut him off sharply. "Go, don't make me say it again!" She almost pushed the man away with all her strength.
The man gave her a bitter look before finally leaving. Eliza let out a sigh of relief.
Victor quickened his pace but only saw the man hurry around the corner and disappear.
"Ellie, what's going on? Who was that man just now?" Victor asked.
Eliza bit her lower lip, her hands twisting together nervously, her heart pounding with anxiety. She tried to force a twisted smile. "I'm fine. That was just a... a friend."
She swallowed nervously, praying inwardly, 'Please tell me Victor didn't hear our conversation. Please don't let him have.' If he'd heard those words, no explanation would work.
Her stammering was obvious evidence of lying. Victor felt suspicious, but he didn't press further. He turned toward the car and said coldly, "Come on, let's go home."
Eliza followed closely behind, her heart in turmoil.
Back at Powell Villa, Victor tossed the car keys onto the low table in the foyer. "It's late. I still have some work to deal with. You go to bed first," he said, then went straight upstairs to the study.
The loud slam of the study door made Eliza flinch.
Victor sat in the study chair, leaning his head back against the chair, the light casting a cold shadow on his profile.
Feeling overwhelmed, he reached up to undo the top button of his shirt.
He casually took out a cigarette, but hesitated before lighting it, eventually putting it back in the box.
With his hands braced on the desk, a thin layer of sweat formed on his palms. Victor couldn't help but rest his forehead on the cold desktop, trying to calm himself.
"Serena..." he whispered the name, his emotions suddenly turning complex.
He slowly sat up, pushed the files aside, and tried to brush away the chaotic thoughts.
Victor picked up his phone, hesitated for a moment, then dialed Serena's number.
Just then, the sudden ring of a cell phone broke the silence in Serena's room.
Meanwhile, Glonia was six in the morning, the sky dawning. Serena turned to look out the window at the warm light of the rising sun.
She stretched and slowly sat up in bed like a waking cat. She picked up her phone and glanced at the number on the screen.
Serena went to the vanity mirror and played with the messy hair by her ear. The phone kept ringing, so she finally answered it.
At the sound of Serena's voice, Victor felt his heart sink. "Serena, it's me," he said.
"Victor?" When Serena heard the voice on the other end, the drowsiness on her face was instantly replaced by coldness. A wave of annoyance irresistibly drowned out her brief morning good mood.
She thought, 'How annoying.' Then she wanted to hang up.
Victor almost immediately sensed Serena's intention. He blurted out, "Wait. Leon... Leon had an allergic reaction and went into shock a while back. He was in the hospital, almost..."
Serena's fingers gripping the phone tightened slightly, and then she heard that Leon had been allergic and almost died.