Chapter 134 A Bad Man
Regina's fingertips accidentally touched the voice play button on the chat interface, and she heard Melissa's hoarse and weak voice, tinged with a pain that she tried hard to suppress.
Regina fixated her gaze unwaveringly on the illuminated screen of her phone.
After a long time, she reached out again and pressed play.
Melissa's words entered her ears.
Regina blinked fluttered slightly and then slowly closed her eyes.
A few minutes later, another voice message popped up.
She clicked it open casually, but it wasn't Melissa's voice; it was Sandra's shrill accusation. "Regina, do you have any conscience left? Mom said she's sick, and you didn't even respond? Do you know what kind of illness she has? Cancer, it's cancer! You're just a heartless, ungrateful person!"
Sandra's piercing voice echoed in the large office, but fortunately, it was after work hours, and everyone had gradually left. So, no one heard it.
Sandra wasn't lying; Melissa was indeed in the late stages of breast cancer.
Her condition wasn't sudden either.
Actually, Melissa had known for a long time that her health was deteriorating.
However, she still couldn't take care of herself, letting it worsen to an incurable stage.
Regina remained motionless, sitting there.
At that moment, it wasn't that she chose not to react, but rather, it felt as if she had momentarily forgotten how to respond.
When another call came in, she still didn't move.
But the phone kept ringing, and since she wouldn't answer, the caller kept calling.
Suddenly, a long, slender hand with distinct knuckles reached out from behind her and directly answered the call.
Regina turned around in surprise, only to see Douglas with a stern face, standing behind her!
She wondered what he was doing here.
Before Regina could think further, she heard Sandra's angry outburst on the other end of the line. "Regina, where is your humanity? Mom wasn't that bad to you, was she? Over the years, she tried to give you money, a car, jewelry, everything she could, but you didn't want any of it! Now she's in the late stages of cancer, and she just wants to see you one last time, but you won't even do that. You're so heartless. Can't you show a little bit of understanding?"
Douglas's lips curled into a cold smile as he casually retorted, "See her? What's there to see? Are we preparing to collect her body today?"
He then clicked his tongue in disdain. "And what the hell is 'understanding'? Does it mean making Regina suffer to make you happy?"
Sandra, on the other end of the line, froze.
Even Regina, who had been lost in thought, shook off her reverie and returned to her senses. She stared in astonishment at Douglas's refined and elegant face.
The Douglas she knew was always gentle, but in reality, how could someone in a high position not have strong and ruthless means?
Such an acid-tongued remark was nothing.
But for a moment, Regina felt that this side of Douglas was distant and unfamiliar to her.
"Who the hell are you?" Sandra, unaware and unafraid, reacted and was so enraged by the casual remark that she lost all sense of propriety. "You must be some bad guy Regina found, right? No decent man would be so uncivilized!"
Honestly, when Sandra said these words, Regina felt a bit embarrassed for her.
"Give the phone to Regina! I want to talk to Regina."
Douglas sneered, "Talk to me."
"Talk to you? Who do you think you are? If I talk to you, you'll think I actually respect you, won't you?"
"My name is Douglas Semona."
"What?"
Douglas had lost his patience, his tone cold and sharp as ice. "If you can't hear, cut off your ears."
Sandra's mind felt like it was splitting, constantly ringing. She wasn't entirely clueless.
At the very least, she knew the name Douglas Semona.
When she first learned that Regina was working at the Century Group, Sandra had indeed felt a pang of jealousy, believing that Regina was fortunate to land a job at such a prestigious company.
The Century Group was one of the top ten companies in the world, and its influence in the country was even more significant.
Sandra was stunned for a full minute before she continued to speak recklessly. "What are you talking about? I'll say it again, give the phone to Regina!"
Sandra thought that the 'bad guy' would stop at this point, but to her surprise, he continued even more vigorously.
Douglas's face darkened, visibly irritated by Sandra's incessant chatter. "I'll say it again, my name is Douglas Semona, and I'm Regina's husband. If you have something to say, say it to me."
The other end of the line fell completely silent.
After the silence, Sandra burst into wild laughter, her laughter sharp and grating.
Sandra had indeed been under a lot of stress lately. She had been neglected by Philip, and without any value, she had always struggled in her stepfather's house. More importantly, with Melissa's late-stage cancer, she felt like her whole world was collapsing.
So now, she spoke like a madwoman. "Do you think I'll believe your nonsense? Keep pretending, both of you."
Regina couldn't stand Sandra's brainless stupidity any longer. She took the phone from Douglas and asked the person on the other end, "Didn't Philip tell you that I got married? And he certainly didn't tell you who I married, did he?"
Afraid that Sandra wouldn't understand and would continue to spout nonsense, Regina didn't want to waste time arguing with her and said directly, "In that case, let me introduce you. The man you just spoke to is indeed my husband. His name is Douglas Semona—the CEO of the Century Group, Douglas Semona."
Sandra's laughter came to an abrupt halt.
