The Ex-Wife They Begged To Keep - Chapter 87: Chapter 87

Early morning, the sharp ring of her phone cut through the quiet room, jolting Serena awake from her light sleep. She fumbled around on the pillow beside her until she found her phone and answered groggily. "Hello?"
"Hello, is this Ms. Gray?"
"Yes, speaking. Who is this?" She rubbed her temples, her voice still heavy with sleep.
"I'm a doctor from Central Hospital, Ms. Brown's attending physician. Her condition took a turn for the worse yesterday, and things aren't looking too good right now."
Serena was instantly wide awake. She sat up quickly and asked, "What happened? She was doing fine before. Why did she suddenly get worse?"
"Ms. Gray, the truth is her condition has been pretty serious for a while now. Ms. Brown just didn't want you to worry, so she asked us to keep it from you for the time being."
"But her condition has gotten worse, so we had to call you," the doctor continued.
Serena felt her chest tighten as panic set in. "What exactly is happening? How is she right now?"
"Ms. Brown is stable at the moment, but she's still in critical condition. We've done everything we can to keep her stabilized, but her family needs to be prepared for the worst," the doctor explained.
Serena hung up and stood there in stunned silence. The morning sunlight streaming through the window felt unusually bright and harsh against her face.
"Why is this happening..." she whispered, her voice barely audible. She'd been so wrapped up in her own problems that she'd completely neglected Tiana's health.
To Serena, Tiana wasn't just her director—she was like family.
Tears welled up in her eyes. She tried to hold them back, but they broke free anyway and dropped onto her hand. 'There has to be another hospital that can help her better,' she thought desperately.
Meanwhile, Albert Powell sat in his study at Powell Manor, working through a stack of paperwork. His desk phone suddenly rang, and he glanced at the caller ID. It was Edward.
Albert pushed his glasses up and looked away from the documents on his desk. He picked up the phone and brought it to his ear. "Hello?"
"Hey Albert, did you see the news?" Edward got straight to the point.
Albert answered in his usual calm tone. "Yeah, I saw it. Young people are always impulsive. They're bound to cause some trouble here and there."
"Albert, this isn't just some minor issue anymore. The Aniston family is all over the headlines now. There's no way to keep this quiet," Edward said.
Albert's fingers tightened on the receiver, but his voice remained steady. "What exactly are you getting at, Edward?"
"I think we should call off the engagement between our kids."
Albert's grip on the phone tightened even more, and he went quiet for a moment. But just as he was about to respond, he heard the dial tone buzzing in his ear.
Albert slowly lowered the receiver but didn't hang up right away. He stared at a spot on his desk for a long time before finally placing the phone back on its base and rubbing his temples. With a heavy sigh, he stood up and walked over to the window.
Meanwhile, Regina stormed into Victor's office. The receptionist jumped at her aggressive entrance and quickly called Victor's secretary.
"Mr. Powell, Ms. Aniston is here..." The secretary's voice trembled noticeably.
Victor rubbed his temples, already frustrated. Eliza's situation was giving him enough of a headache, and now Regina was barging in to make things worse. He pinched the bridge of his nose and said impatiently, "Send her in."
Regina burst through the door and marched straight up to his desk. "Victor, my dad just went to your father to call off our engagement!"
Victor looked up, his eyebrows drawn together in confusion. "What did you just say?"
"The Aniston family is calling off the engagement." Regina repeated, emphasizing each word as she stared him down.
Victor let out a cold laugh. "Calling it off? Perfect. That's exactly what I wanted to hear."
"Victor, I don't care about you and Eliza. If you want, I can go talk to my dad right now and tell him not to cancel the engagement. We can still make this work if you want."
Victor stared at Regina in complete disbelief. 'She knows everything about me and Eliza, so why is she still so determined to marry me?' he thought.
When Victor stayed quiet, Regina figured he was wavering and pushed harder. "Victor, I've already told you. Once we're married, we'll both get what we need and stay out of each other's way. You can keep seeing Eliza if that's what you want."
"Why would you want this?" Victor asked, genuinely puzzled. "What are you really after?"
Regina studied Victor's confused expression before answering. "You know your dad will never let you marry Eliza. The Powell family will never accept her, and they definitely won't accept her kid."
She watched Victor's frown deepen before continuing. "So why not just marry me instead? At least I won't interfere with your life afterward. As long as we keep up the act in public, we can both do whatever we want—what's the downside?"
Victor had to admit that Regina's proposal was probably the most realistic solution to their current situation. This arrangement would let him stay with Eliza on the side without any family drama.
"You make a valid point," Victor said, looking up at her with obvious doubt in his eyes. "But how do I know you won't stab me in the back once we're married?"
Regina flashed him a confident smile. "Don't flatter yourself, Victor. I've never needed to play games to get what I want."
She paused, then added, "And even if I did make things difficult for you, what exactly could you do about it?"
Victor's eyes narrowed as he studied Regina carefully. After a long moment, he finally spoke, "Fine. We'll get married."
"Looking forward to it," Regina said, flashing him a sly smile.
Victor watched her walk out the door, his expression unreadable.
Agreeing to marry Regina really was his best option right now. It would get Albert off his back and protect the Powell family's reputation. But every time he thought about Eliza crying, the guilt hit him like a punch to the chest.
The next morning, every major newspaper in the city ran the same explosive headline: [The Marriage of the Century! Aniston Group and Powell Group to Hold Engagement Ceremony Next Month! The Union of Two Powerhouses Sends Shockwaves Through the City.]
The news spread like wildfire overnight. Social media platforms were buzzing with activity, online forums exploded with heated discussions, and the entire internet seemed to be talking about nothing else.
[Victor is such a scumbag! Wasn't he just exposed for getting a girl pregnant and then abandoning her? Now he's turning around and pulling off this so-called marriage of the century? What a piece of work!]
[Love really doesn't mean anything when you're rich. What exactly is the Aniston family thinking? Are they really okay with just being arm candy?]
[Come on, don't be so naive. There's no real love among the wealthy. This whole Aniston and Powell engagement is just a business deal. Who cares how much dirt Victor has in his past?]
[Honestly, I don't think Regina's the one getting played here. The way she operates, she'll probably end up turning the tables on Victor.]
[The whole Victor and Eliza drama isn't over yet. I bet there's still plenty more to come.]
[Grabbing my popcorn. These rich people put on a new show every day, and it never gets old.]