Chapter 123 A Special Birthday
Philip watched the scene unfold, his face extremely grim.
Douglas's words had turned his heart upside down, and Regina's actions were like another knife stabbing into his chest.
Douglas agreed to go home and have dinner with Regina. After hanging up the phone, he immediately got up.
However, just as he was about to leave, he suddenly stopped and looked down at Philip, who was sitting at the bar.
Philip sensed his gaze and looked up. Meeting Douglas's indifferent eyes, he felt like he was worthless.
"When she loved you the most, she didn't get what she wanted from you. Do you think there's anything left in you worth her turning back for?"
Pretending not to understand his words, Philip sneered. "So you do know she loved me."
"So what if she did?" Douglas remained composed by the verbal provocation. "The person standing by her side now is me, and that's all that matters."
When Douglas got home, he saw Regina, dressed in casual clothes, busy in the dining room. Betty, who was helping with the cooking, was placing the last dish on the table.
Hearing the noise, Regina looked up and smiled at him. "Honey, come here for dinner."
Douglas was momentarily stunned. Hearing her call him "honey" reminded him of when she had called him that naturally over the phone.
For Douglas, it was a sweet piece of honey.
But for Philip, it was probably the last straw. If he had been holding on when he heard Douglas talk about "patricide and seizing power," Regina's "honey" would have made him crumble at the most critical moment.
Philip wanted too much but got nothing in the end.
Seeing Douglas lost in thought, Regina quietly walked over to him and tentatively asked, "Did something happen with Philip?"
Regina initially wanted to avoid this topic; she didn't want to talk about people or things that would ruin her mood during dinner. But seeing Douglas like this, she couldn't help but wonder what had happened at the Peace Club.
"It's nothing. We've already talked it out."
As she got closer, he felt a stirring desire. His hand fell to her waist, guiding her back to the dining room.
Regina couldn't help but ask, "Talked? So did you make some kind of deal?"
He pulled out a chair for her and didn't avoid the question. "For now, yes."
Since she had already asked, Regina decided to get to the bottom of it. "What do you mean by 'for now'?"
"Even a regular dog will bite when cornered, let alone a mad dog. So for now, I won't touch him. Don't worry. We can have some peace for a while; he won't dare to bother you again."
While Philip grasped at a superficial weakness, Douglas held onto something buried deep within his humanity.
Of course, under normal circumstances, Douglas wouldn't back down when threatened with a so-called weakness.
But when it came to Regina, he was more cautious.
However, he would never let a malignant tumor grow unchecked. So he said the deal was only temporary.
Regina understood that the conflict between Douglas and Philip was no longer just about that night at the Seasons Hotel.
Previously, the Century Group and the Heyday Group, two commercial giants in Oriant City, had little to do with each other.
However, it was a wait-and-see situation now.
Philip couldn't beat Douglas.
Douglas had been exposed to the business world since he was a child, learning from Leo, and his business tactics were endless.
Although there might be turbulence in the future, Regina felt a slight sense of peace.
The two quietly ate in the dining room.
Suddenly, Douglas seemed to remember something and asked casually, "Mrs. Semona, your birthday is coming up. What do you want as a gift?"
Regina thought, 'It's not coming up soon. I'm born in May. There are still more than two months to go.'
"Did you get my birthday wrong?" Regina asked.
"No, I didn't," Douglas said truthfully. "Your birthday is May 12th."
After a moment, he added, "I've probably been waiting to celebrate your birthday, thinking about it often, so I got a bit anxious."
'He had been waiting, thinking about it often.' Regina repeated this in her mind, feeling a warm current envelop her heart.
Regina pressed her lips together and said, "I don't have any particular gift in mind. I feel like I don't lack anything right now."
Douglas smiled. "Even if you don't lack anything, I have to give you something."
Regina thought for a moment and said somewhat perfunctorily, "Any gift will do."
Over the years, she hadn't had a particular obsession with birthdays.
But she couldn't help but remember how Tasha used to buy her a beautiful dress and make a delicious meal for her birthday. As she grew up, went to college out of town, and started working, this ritual stopped because of Tasha's poor health.
Unintentionally thinking of Tasha again, Regina felt sad.
Douglas had brought up the topic casually, intending to surprise her, but he hadn't expected it to bring up some bad memories.
Regina quickly collected herself and pretended not to care as she ate her food.
Suddenly, she realized something was off. She put down her utensils and looked at him in shock. "You know my birthday is May 12th?"
Regina remembered she had never told him her birthday.
"How did you know it?But I don't celebrate that day as birthday." As she said this, her eyes dimmed unintentionally. She wanted to say something but hesitated.
After a long time, she slowly spoke, "Because something bad happened that day, my grandmother said to move my birthday back a day."
Regina didn't need to say it explicitly; Douglas already knew.
After all, he had liked her for a long time, so it wasn't surprising that he knew her past well.
Regina's head, which had been lowered, suddenly lifted again. "You still haven't answered me. How did you know my birthday is May 12th?"
Suddenly, she felt a bit excited. "Did I just find another piece of evidence?"
Douglas didn't respond immediately, so Regina took his silence as confirmation.
This was the third piece of "evidence" she had found!
From finding those old phones to discovering that Dougal was him, to him remembering her "special" birthday.
He placed a piece of fish in her bowl with a spoon and said calmly, "I've been at several of your birthdays; you just didn't notice."
