Chapter 124 Wedding Dress
Regina thought carefully. She had spent her recent birthdays with Philip.
She had celebrated several of her birthdays at the Peace Club.
Douglas was probably a regular at the Peace Club too, so it wasn't surprising to run into her there.
Regina looked intently at Douglas, wondering what kind of spell she was under.
A man as attractive and high-quality as Douglas, even if he hadn't interacted with her directly, should have left a deep impression on her just by passing by.
Why couldn't she remember him at all on the day of the blind date?
It made her think she had married a complete stranger.
Regina found it unbelievable.
Douglas, however, was indifferent. "At that time, you only had eyes for him, so naturally, you didn't notice anyone else."
Regina didn't like that kind of hedonistic lifestyle.
Although she would occasionally go to places like the Peace Club because of Philip, she was more like an outsider, sitting quietly in a corner, ignoring their amusements.
But for someone as popular as Philip, his every move was naturally watched, and because of him, Regina was often the subject of gossip at the Peace Club.
The gossip was harsh.
They would label Regina as 'just a substitute,' 'an obedient plaything,' a woman hopelessly devoted to Philip.'
They mocked, "Do you believe that if Philip had sex with another woman, she would hand him the condom?"
"I heard Philip is getting married, and he still plans to keep her around for fun."
In other people's minds, Regina was the inferior one in that relationship, loving Philip humbly and without self-respect.
Maybe she really didn't hear it, or maybe she did, but as long as Philip didn't personally admit those things and didn't say those hurtful words, she wouldn't believe them.
Until last year on Regina's birthday, also at the Peace Club, those people brought up the old gossip again, and Douglas heard it.
Douglas, who was always in control and composed, was furious that day at the Peace Club, almost tearing the place apart.
But Regina still didn't know.
Regina might remember that there was a commotion at the Peace Club on her birthday, but she didn't know it was because of her.
Regina took a deep breath, her eyes fixed on Douglas, seemingly expecting him to say more.
Douglas thought momentarily. "Do you remember your twenty-third birthday?"
Before Regina could think deeply, he continued, "That day, Philip only stayed with you for an hour before leaving for something. You left the Peace Club alone and went to a roadside barbecue stand, eating for almost two hours."
Just thinking about this scene made Regina feel a bit embarrassed.
The thought that Douglas might have been standing somewhere she couldn't see, watching her eat barbecue for almost two hours, made her feel even more awkward.
"I didn't intend to follow or monitor you; I was just afraid you might get drunk."
Regina wasn't in a great mood that day, but she knew her alcohol tolerance well and didn't have a habit of drinking to drown her sorrows. So, she only ordered a soda.
Douglas continued, "When you were twenty-four, you probably had the idea of marrying him. On your birthday, you went to a bridal shop."
However, Regina only stood at the window of the bridal shop, looking at a white wedding dress without trying it on.
Philip said he wanted to give her the best, a unique wedding dress, not an ordinary sample hanging in the window.
Regina used to think she had too many regrets in her relationship with Philip, but now, when she looked back, those 'regrets' have made her more at peace with the past six years.
But looking at Douglas sitting across the table, Regina felt even heavier in her heart.
It seemed he had always been standing in a place she couldn't see, silently watching over her and protecting her.
"Why didn't you come forward and tell me all these years?"
Douglas had heard a saying somewhere that fit his feelings well.
It roughly meant that having a crush on someone was being afraid they knew yet also afraid they didn't know.
Seeing that she seemed too distracted to eat, Douglas added some food to her plate and reminded her, "You should eat before the food gets cold."
Finally, he added, half-jokingly and half-seriously, "I'm not as pitiful or miserable as you think. My life has been fulfilling and orderly. Just work alone keeps me busy enough. This so-called crush or affection hasn't trapped or bound me. On the contrary, it has always made me better."
Regina blinked slightly, and she said nothing more.
She lowered her head, eating the food in her plate with a heavy heart.
Fortunately, the rest of her life was still long, and she would have the chance to make it up to him.
At night, Regina lay in bed, unable to sleep.
"How about you read me a novel?" she asked Douglas, who was also awake beside her, in a soft voice.
Regina used to fall asleep listening to his radio dramas when she couldn't sleep.
Now that he was right beside her, she naturally didn't need to listen to those stories from her phone anymore.
Douglas was accommodating. "What do you want to listen to?"
Regina found a novel on a reading app on her phone that Miranda had sent her a long time ago. Miranda said it was very good, but Regina hadn't read it yet because she wasn't very fond of reading novels.
Douglas took the phone and found a novle.
It was a love story suitable for lulling someone to sleep.
Douglas's magnetic and textured voice brushed past her ears, making them slightly red as she listened.
Sure enough, Regina slowly fell asleep, leaning against him.
Douglas looked at the person in his arms, feeling for the first time that he had truly gotten Regina and would never lose her again.
The next day was calm and peaceful.
There was no scandal about the Seasons Hotel incident online.
Douglas sat at his desk, leaning back slightly in his chair, flipping through a thick stack of documents with a lazy and relaxed demeanor.
Charles, who hadn't seen him for a while, came by.
Charles had been so busy with the Azure Gateway Bridge project recently that he didn't even have time for sex.
He pulled out a chair and sat across from Douglas, getting straight to the point. "Douglas, I need to ask you something. Have you been planning something big behind Regina's back recently?"
The Semona family and the Rodriguez family were very close, and yesterday, he had vaguely heard some news from the Semona family.
