Chapter 728

Scarlett had suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery. The farce at City Hall came to a shocking and painful end in a life-or-death crisis.

The doors to the operating room remained shut. Stella sat numbly on a bench in the hallway, holding Aster, who had cried himself to sleep. Briony sat beside her in silent companionship.

The specialists Cedric had called were doing everything they could. Ableson and Cedric stood guard outside the operating room doors.

Further down the hall, Stewart was on the phone. The ugly scene at City Hall had been secretly recorded and posted online, where it was quickly going viral. Stewart was telling Carl Shaw to get the videos taken down, no matter the cost. Not a single clip could remain.

Normally, since Stella and Cedric weren't public figures, it should have been easy. But it seemed someone was fanning the flames from behind the scenes. Stewart told Carl to find out who it was as soon as possible. He ended the call and walked over to Briony.

"Bryn."

She looked up at him.

"I have to leave for a bit to handle something," he said in a low voice.

Briony nodded. Stewart turned and left in a hurry.

About half an hour later, the doors to the operating room swung open. Cedric was the first to ask, "Dr. Warren, how is my mother-in-law?"

Dr. Warren removed his surgical mask. Even for a leading expert, his expression was grave. "We saved her life. But given her age and the amount of bleeding, even if she regains consciousness, some paralysis will be unavoidable.”

At these words, Ableson staggered. Cedric rushed forward to support him. "It's all my fault,” Ableson lamented, filled with regret. “I know her temper... It's all my fault...."

Stella stared blankly at her father. After a long moment, she whispered, "It's my fault. It's all my fault...."

Briony took her hand. "Star, don't say that."

Stella looked down at Aster in her arms. He was sleeping soundly, blissfully unaware of the sorrow and strife of the adults around him. All he knew was the warm, comforting, and safe embrace of his mother.

...

Scarlett was moved from the operating room to the ICU. Now began the long waiting period. When she would wake up was entirely up to fate.

The sky gradually darkened. Afternoon thunderstorms were common in Northborough during the summer.

Aster woke up, happy to see his mother still there. He reached up with his small hand and touched her face, not understanding why her cheeks were wet. He got water on his fingers and curiously put them in his mouth. It was salty, and maybe a little bitter.

Briony gently took Aster's hand from his mouth and held it. "Are you hungry, Aster?" Aster looked at Briony. “Mama... Dada....... Ga-ga!"

His words weren't clear, but for Briony, who had raised children, it wasn't hard to understand. She got up and left the room.

Cedric was talking with Ableson and the specialist. When he saw Briony, he paused the conversation. "What is it?"

"Aster's hungry."

Cedric paused. "I have some formula in my office. I'll have someone...."

"I'll get it," Briony offered.

He hesitated, then nodded. "Alright. Thank you."

Briony turned and headed toward Cedric's office.

After preparing the bottle, Briony started walking back. Just then, her phone rang. It

was another unknown number. She hesitated for a moment before answering. "Hello?"

"It's me."

Xenia Cooper.

Briony frowned.

"Stewart just came to see me. He was furious."

Briony was emotionally exhausted and had no desire to get entangled with Xenia.

"I'm not interested in what goes on between you and your husband."

"But he was angry for you!" Xenia's

tone was taunting. "The scandal

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your good friend is all

internet.

over the

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Mëdia, surely you've heard

something?"

Briony's frown deepened.

"Someone secretly recorded a video

and posted it. I happened to see it, thought it was quite entertaining, so money to let the whole

I spent a little to my

country m on the fun To my surprise, the response has been great!" sŵnovels

"Xenia Cooper!” Briony gripped the baby bottle tightly. "When are you going to stop?"

“I just find my life so boring. I have to find some excitement. A person like you, Ms. Kensington, who has people protecting you at every turn, how could you possibly understand?"

"Xenia, if you're doing all this because of Stewart, I can tell you right now that there's nothing between us anymore. At most, he's just the father of my children."

“Hahahaha!” Xenia suddenly burst out laughing. "Who said this was about Stewart?"

Briony paused, then asked, "If it's not about Stewart, then you're after something else Xenia, why don't you just say what you want instead of dragging innocent people into this?"