Chapter 138 Are You Trying to Force Me to Love Him

Regina woke up, not knowing what time it was.

Today was her birthday.

Melissa had sent Regina numerous messages, hoping Regina would come to see her, hoping she could spend Regina's last birthday with her. Initially, Regina didn't respond at all.

It wasn't until later that Melissa sent a bloody photo.

In the photo, she had used a sharp knife to cut her wrist, leaving a long, deep gash.

She expressed that if she were unable to see Regina, it would be preferable for her to die.

Regina eventually went to the hospital.

However, upon arriving at the hospital, Regina realized it was just a suicide ploy.

How many disappointments did it take for someone to completely lose hope?

Regina's thoughts numbed along with her body. She didn't know where she was lying; the surface beneath her was cold and hard, and occasionally she could smell a hint of decay.

She tried to move but found her body limp and powerless.

Her mouth was securely sealed with black tape, and her eyes were concealed by a cloth, rendering her completely incapacitated and helpless.

In that quiet, suffocating darkness, Regina didn't know how much time had passed before she heard the door open.

Sandra, in high heels, walked towards Regina lying on the bed with a contemptuous look in her eyes.

"Don't worry. Mom didn't slit her wrists. She wouldn't dare die. After all, the one she cares about most in this world is me. She wouldn't leave without seeing me live a good life. Besides, she wouldn't die in such a cowardly way. As for the messages and photos you received today, I sent them. Oh, and that wrist-cutting photo was one I found online. I didn't expect you'd believe it."

Sandra's voice buzzed in Regina's ears like a swarm of flies.

Regina didn't struggle; she didn't have the strength to.

Suddenly, Sandra walked over, bent down, and ripped the black tape off Regina's mouth.

Regina didn't even flinch. She calmly asked Sandra, "What do you want?"

Sandra chuckled. "Someone told me that if I could help him win your heart, he'd give me a lot of money and many other benefits. He can give me anything I want."

"Do you need money?"

"I don't need money."

"What benefits do you want?"

"What benefits do I want? Can you give them to me?" Sandra sneered. "You don't really think your husband is your boss, do you?"

Anyway, Philip had said he didn't know Regina was married, so Sandra was sure Regina was lying.

In fact, Philip feigned ignorance, gambling on Sandra's lack of knowledge and her fearless nature.

Otherwise, she wouldn't dare ruin Douglas's marriage.

Regina took a deep breath and held back.

Sandra had been spoiled and willful by Melissa, so this kind of 'kidnapping' wasn't surprising.

Because over the past twenty years, Sandra had used such 'methods' several times.

Once, in Regina's junior year of college, Sandra pretended to accidentally push her, who couldn't swim, into a pool.

On another occasion during high school, Sandra had orchestrated a plan where she enlisted a group of thugs to corner Regina in an alley that she had to pass after school. Their intention was to intimidate her and potentially capture compromising photos.

Sandra was only fourteen then but already very malicious.

But over the years, Sandra hadn't gained any advantage over Regina. Regina's vigilance and caution left her no chance.

This time, if it weren't for using Melissa's terminal cancer as an excuse, Sandra knew she still couldn't get close to Regina.

So, in the end, Regina still wanted Melissa's love.

Yet she pretended not to care time and again.

Reflecting on this incident, Sandra finally experienced a sense of relief that had long been suppressed within her heart.

"Let's get back to the point. Someone wants your heart... will you give it?" Sandra's tone was full of sarcasm.

"Is this the way you help him?" Regina understood without Sandra spelling it out. "Are you trying to force me to love him, or do you think if you force me, I will love him?"

Regina's dismissive tone made Sandra furious.

Did Regina know that the person she treated like trash was someone Sandra had dreamed of but could never get?

Sandra felt her dignity was shattered.

In a fit of rage, she grabbed a knife and pressed it hard against Regina's chest, shouting, "Is it so hard to get your heart? I can dig it out right now!"

No matter how crazy Sandra was, Regina remained calm.

She moved her fingers, feeling that the drug's effect was wearing off, and her strength was slowly returning.

At this moment, she had to quietly deal with Sandra to have a chance to escape.

Regina keenly heard Sandra's phone vibrate.

Then, she heard the sound of the knife being thrown to the ground.

Sandra, gritting her teeth, turned and walked to the door to text Philip back.

Philip asked if she had arranged to meet Regina. If so, he would come over immediately.

According to the original plan, the person entering this room should have been Philip.

But now, Sandra had changed her mind.

She thought, 'What if a group of filthy men come in? What if Philip see that scene? Will he still want her?'

Sandra hesitated for a long time but finally replied to Philip: [Sorry, Philip, I couldn't arrange to meet her. Regina doesn't trust me, and I couldn't get her to come out.]

Having sent the message, Sandra didn't linger for Philip's response. Instead, she switched off her phone and placed it back in her pocket.

Then, she walked out of the room.

As the door closed completely, Regina finally raised her hand and tore off the cloth covering her eyes.

Sandra had been careless. She thought Regina had been given so much medication that she wouldn't regain her strength for a long time, so Regina's hands and feet weren't tied.

Regina, mustering what little strength she had left, approached the door. She attempted to open it, but it appeared to be locked from the outside. No matter how hard she pulled, the door remained steadfast and unyielding.

The room was also without power, with walls on all sides, no windows, and no light coming in.

Regina checked her pockets and found her phone was long gone.

Regina's body slid weakly down the damp, mottled wall.

Meanwhile, in a high-end private hospital in Oriant City, Douglas had found Melissa, who had been transferred to another hospital.

He looked at Melissa lying on the hospital bed, barely alive with an oxygen tube, exuding a deathly aura like a grim reaper, as if he had come to claim a life.

In a cold voice, he asked, "Where is Regina?"

Melissa stared with hollow, sunken eyes, weak and desperate, at Douglas standing over her bed.

She shook her head.

This morning, her condition had suddenly worsened, and she had fainted in the bathroom, then was rushed to the emergency room.

By the afternoon, she had been transferred to this hospital.

The whole process was a blur to her.

She just felt so strange.

'Who was he? Was he looking for Regina? Where had Regina gone?'

At that moment, the door to the ward swung open abruptly, and Sandra burst in, her voice laced with anger as she shouted, "Who are you all? Get out..."

Before she could finish her sentence, her eyes met Douglas's gaze, and she froze as if struck by lightning.

Douglas's gaze was like a chain tightening around her throat.

She opened her mouth but couldn't utter a word, just staring at him in shock.

In that instant, Jason swiftly stepped forward, delivering a forceful kick to Sandra's knee, causing her to crumble to the ground as if her body had been shattered.

The intense pain brought Sandra back to her senses.

She looked at Douglas in disbelief, her voice losing its previous bravado and becoming timid. "What... what do you want?"

Because the Semona family was so low-key, she had never seen Douglas in person.

However, with his appointment as CEO of the Century Group, a few blurry photos of him had surfaced online, and Sandra recognized him by instinct.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she immediately asked, "Who... who are you to Regina?"

"Haven't I already told you?" Douglas had no patience left. He bent down, grabbed her by the neck, and lifted her off the ground, throwing her against the wall. "I'm Douglas Semona, Regina's husband."

"Where is Regina?"

As his fingers tightened, a suffocating pressure overwhelmed Sandra, threatening to drown her. She clutched his wrist, struggling in pain and fear, her face turning red.

But Douglas's grip was like an iron clamp.

"I... I don't know."

Sandra was still stubborn.

She thought that if she admitted her mistake and told Douglas where Regina was and what condition she was in, he might kill her on the spot.

He really was Douglas Semona. He really was Regina's husband!

Sandra's world spun, turned upside down.

"Do you really want me to beat it out of you?"

Douglas suddenly let go, and the long-deprived Sandra finally got a breath. She clutched her chest, gasping for air, but before she could fully catch her breath, the man with the buzz cut and tattooed arms standing next to Douglas pressed a knife to her neck, drawing a long, bloody line.

"Ah!"

Sandra screamed, tears streaming down her face. "Please, don't kill me... don't kill me."

Douglas looked at Sandra with annoyance.

With a signal from him, Jason pressed the knife deeper.

Sandra was so terrified she could barely speak.

Meanwhile, on the hospital bed, Melissa, weak and seemingly on the brink of death, sat up and used her last bit of strength to plead with Douglas.

"Please, don't hurt Sandra..."

Douglas sneered. "When you beg me not to hurt her, do you ever think about your other daughter, who is also in danger?"

Melissa's pupils dilated, her bloodless face contorting in pain.

She urgently spoke to Sandra, her voice broken and gasping due to her labored breathing. "Quick, Sandra, tell him where Regina is. What foolish thing have you done?"

Sandra, spoiled and willful, was also somewhat cowardly, especially when faced with Douglas's overwhelming authority. She was so scared she couldn't speak, only crying.

Seeing Jason about to press the knife further, Melissa cried out. "Don't kill her, kill me instead!"

Douglas looked at the dying Melissa, who was even willing to die for Sandra and felt even more furious.

He yanked the oxygen tube off Melissa's face, watching her breathing weaken. "Fine, if you want to die, I'll grant your wish."

Jason continued to press the knife, and Sandra, in pain and seeing Melissa's condition, finally had her senses jolted back a bit.

She rasped, trembling, "I'll tell. I'll tell, please... let us go!"

Jason immediately let go.

He knew the priority was to find Regina, not to waste time on these two.

"I just locked Regina up. I... I haven't done anything else."

In fact, Sandra had wanted to do something.

Her jealousy had driven her mad.

She had thought of letting a group of filthy men have their way with Regina, even considering letting Regina die.

But thinking of how much Philip cared for Regina now, she had struggled internally and finally stopped herself.

Now Sandra had to be grateful she had stopped. She had only confined Regina.

Otherwise, Douglas would really kill her!

Jason looked at Sandra on the ground like she was an idiot. Without another word, he dragged her out of the hospital room and into a car.

Sandra, trembling with fear, directed them to where Regina was being held.

It was an old, abandoned factory situated far from the bustling city center.

Douglas's anxiety grew.

The thought of Regina being scared in such a dark, confined place pained him deeply.

The closer they got to the destination, the worse the road became. The surrounding weeds were half a meter high, and the ground was uneven, a broken concrete road. The black SUV bumped along until it finally stopped in front of the two-story factory.

Sandra hurriedly led them forward.

She had locked Regina in a storage room on the second floor of the factory.

But when Sandra arrived, she was stunned.

The lock that had been on the storage room door was broken and lying on the ground, and the door was open.

Douglas rushed in, striding through the darkness.

"Regina!"

However, no matter how he called, there was no response, no sound from inside.

He used his phone's light to search the room and quickly realized Regina wasn't there.

"Where is she?" Douglas turned and shouted at Sandra.

Sandra's face turned pale with fear, trembling as if talking to herself. "How could this be? I... I clearly locked her in here. Where is she?"