Chapter 11 The Person You've Been Thinking About all Along
Regina's mood was complicated.
After a moment of hesitation, she agreed. "Alright, just six months."
"What do you mean?"
Regina blurted out, "We agreed on it. Our 'trial marriage' is for six months, and after that, we'll be over no matter what."
"No matter what?"
Regina pondered, 'Why is he merely echoing what I say?' She failed to notice the gravity etched on his face and lingered in silence before speaking. Abruptly, a bubbling noise interrupted her thoughts. Whirling around, she saw the soup she'd been simmering had bubbled over. A frown creased her brow as she moved to turn off the burner, but Douglas was already one step ahead, swiftly extinguishing the flame. Regina reached to clean the mess, yet Douglas halted her with a gesture.
"The cleaning person will be here soon. So have your meal first, then go to the hospital to see Tasha," Douglas suggested.
Regina nodded and quickly served two bowls of soup. Douglas hadn't been staying here for a while, so there weren't many ingredients in the fridge. Regina could only make some simple soup.
"I'll treat you to lunch. After all, you've helped me a lot today."
Feeling a slight distance between them, Douglas felt a bit upset. However, he remained calm and said, "Sure."
After breakfast, as they were getting ready to leave, Regina hesitated in the dressing room. Just in case, she deliberately put on a white down jacket and a black mask that covered most of her face. She had wanted to wear sunglasses, but when she saw Douglas, she quit it. He was wearing a gray suit with a long black coat. He looked aloof and elegant, giving her a sense of unapproachability.
Regina put the sunglasses back quietly. She felt like a thief standing in front of him wearing this.
They left together and took the elevator to the underground parking lot. Douglas walked to the car but didn't rush to get in. Instead, he went to the passenger side and opened the door for her. Seeing his thoughtfulness, she abandoned any pretense, offered a soft "thank you," and gracefully took her seat in the passenger side. The car quickly left the underground garage and merged into the busy traffic.
Regina remained silent on the way. She was not one to have a strong desire to share or tell her story, especially considering she had only just met Douglas.
After a while, Douglas's phone vibrated in the car. Douglas held the steering wheel with one hand and put on earphones with the other while answering the call. "If you are not dying, don't bother me." Regina initially thought she had misheard. She cautiously glanced at Douglas. He didn't sound very angry, but it made Regina feel a little fearful.
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, and the man sighed. "Douglas, why are you mad at me? I'm innocent in the whole paparazzi incident as well, right?"
They had dinner together with fully armed, but he was still photographed. The paparazzi's eyes were even sharper than the camera, recognizing him at a glance. As for the so-called intimate behavior mentioned in the report, it was just a misunderstanding. It was pouring that day, and he didn't take an umbrella.
After leaving the restaurant, he had no choice but to walk under Douglas's umbrella for shelter from the rain. The result was a misaligned photo, making it look like his hand was on Douglas's waist. Michael immediately handled the PR, but he didn't expect that half an hour later, Douglas directly showed his marriage license to the media. "But you're pretty quick at photoshopping."
"My photo wasn't photoshopped."
Michael frowned, feeling that the situation was complex. "Then where did you get your marriage license? Did you borrow it?"
Douglas chuckled and said, "Of course, it's from the government."
"Do I look like someone who's easily fooled?" Michael thought, 'He should at least come up with a believable lie! Am I a fool? Does he think such a lie can fool me?'
Douglas tapped the steering wheel lightly, not wanting to continue the conversation. "I'll bring it to you another day so you can see if it's real or not."
Michael fell silent. Douglas's confident tone made Michael start to doubt if he had misunderstood him. He thought, 'If it weren't for this scandal, Douglas wouldn't have impulsively gone to get the marriage license because he was worried about my reputation and Century Group.'
"But what about the person you've been thinking about?"
