Lost Me, Gained Regret (Jane and Bryant Ferguson)

"I had Josiah, or Kane as we sometimes call him, go out to find a way to get an antidote," I said, still somewhat surprised by his willingness to help. "He agreed?" I asked, my voice tinged with disbelief.

"Yeah, but we shouldn't get our hopes too high. We've got to plan for every possibility," Gregory replied, his thumb gently smoothing out the worry lines on my forehead. "Besides that, Herbert has asked Mr. Abdul to look into ways to delay the poison's effects. Also, your mom and I have arranged to send Ramona's blood samples to top research labs abroad. With enough time, they're sure to come up with something."

"Jane, trust me, Ramona will be alright."

Looking into his deep eyes, a sense of calm washed over me. Just like when we were kids, I reached out and ruffled his hair, whispering, "Thank you, Gregory."

The next morning, I was up and ready before the doctor came for his rounds.

I had insisted Gregory go home to get some proper rest, but he refused, choosing instead to spend the night cramped on the couch beside me.

After the doctor left, Gregory was called out to discuss Ramona's condition further. Just as I was about to follow, Christine burst in, breakfast in hand. "Did you and Gregory spend the night at the hospital?" she asked as she handed over the breakfast.

"Yeah," I replied, setting the breakfast aside to look at her. "What's got you up and about so early? This isn't like your usual routine."

"I wanted to come by yesterday, you know? But I figured you'd be up to your neck in worries, and there wasn't much I could do to help. Thought it better to let you focus on finding a solution."

Christine placed a cup of to-go coffee in front of me, noting, "Your period is coming up, so I didn't get it iced. How's Ramona doing? Did you get the antidote?"

"No, not yet," I sighed, taking a sip of the coffee and briefly explained the situation to her. "We still don't know who's behind all this."

"Does the Myers family have any enemies?" Christine frowned, puzzled. "Who else would get involved in another family's inheritance disputes?"

I shook my head, equally confused. "I don't know. We can only take it one step at a time."

"As long as they have a motive, it'll come to light eventually," Christine said, tapping my forehead before opening up the breakfast. "For now, eat."

"I'll wait."

"Wait for what?"

"Gregory."

"Ugh, you two and your lovey-dovey stuff. Good thing I bought enough for both," Christine remarked with a sigh. "But seriously, we owe a lot to him and Mark this time."

I nodded in agreement. "Yeah, when we get a chance, let's take our classmate out for a meal."

Christine glanced towards the door, asking, "Is Gregory not coming?"

"Of course, he is."

If I didn't invite him, he'd probably start a vinegar factory out of jealousy.

That's exactly why we needed Christine there, to lighten the mood. Gregory and Mark never really got along.

Just then, Christine seemed to remember something troubling. "You haven't seen what's happening online, have you?"

Curious, I asked, "What's going on?"

I had been too worried about Ramona to check my phone and had no idea about any online developments.

With a grim tone, Christine

explained, "It started with Gregory's

dad fainting and being

Rumors say it's over a woman meaning you. A lot

people who don't know the full story are attacking you two, especially targeting you."

"He fainted?"

"Don't worry about his dad; if something serious had happened, it would've blown up even more by now. They're likely using the situation to try and tarnish Gregory's reputation." Frowning, I picked up my phone to check the news.

"You won't find much," Christine said, not stopping me. "Your family and Gregory must have stepped in The situation erupted last night but was quickly suppressed by several powerful parties. The account that leaked the audio got banned."

"Damn, who has the power to just ban accounts like that?"

"Gregory stepped up. The Ford family has the means; banning a few accounts is nothing to them."

"Talk about a real man, protecting his wife like that."

"Relying on a man, typical... Gregory's seen his fair share of

twice, will just be another fling before he tosses you aside. Then

women. Someone like young not

you'll be left high and dry, nota tear left to cry."