Chapter 146 Last Night's Exhaustion
Regina slowly recalled yesterday, and a wave of painful feelings suddenly became clear.
"Later, I received another message on my phone..."
Regina wanted to find her phone and show him that text message.
But after scanning the surroundings, she suddenly remembered that her phone had been destroyed by Sandra.
The message was long, and Regina's thoughts were muddled because yesterday had drained a lot of her energy and strength, leaving her feeling quite exhausted.
She could only try her best to recall the message. "The message said that if she couldn't see me, she would die. She also said...she left a will, and if I didn't go, the will would be made public after her death, and its contents were related to us."
An ordinary person's will wouldn't cause much of a stir after their death.
Even if it were exposed to the media, it might not make a difference.
But if the will involved Douglas, it would definitely cause a huge uproar.
After all, Douglas' status and position were significant.
The Semona family usually kept a low profile, and he was discreet, but that didn't mean they couldn't make an impact in society.
On the contrary, their influence was enormous.
"She said she would reveal our marriage and write that her wrist-slitting suicide was because of our unfilial behavior as her daughter and son-in-law."
Such a will would subject everyone to a moral judgment.
As for the truth behind it, some would investigate, and some would prove it.
But it would undoubtedly be a chaotic storm.
Regina didn't want to destroy the Semona family's tradition of discretion and secrecy, nor did she want Douglas to bear the stigma and be subjected to moral judgment because of her.
She knew it was foolish.
She hadn't done anything wrong and could easily prove her innocence. She could even ensure that Melissa wouldn't rest in peace after her death, bearing infamy.
After all, Melissa was never a qualified mother.
She had too much evidence in her hands to morally judge Melissa.
But what was the point of endless confrontation?
"I didn't tell you because she said in the message that she wanted me to go alone and didn't want you to know about her desire to see me."
Melissa's dislike and fear of Douglas were conspicuous.
During the last call, Douglas spoke negatively of her and Sandra, with an oppressive tone.
Regina lowered her head, her long lashes covering the complex thoughts in her eyes.
"I actually...also anticipated that this might be a scheme."
Sure enough, later, Sandra admitted that she had taken Melissa's phone and done all this.
Before Regina could finish speaking, Douglas interrupted her forcefully, "You knew it might be a scheme, but you thought it was just your sister targeting you. You might suffer a bit, but it would be bearable. After all, you've endured it several times over the years. You thought enduring it one more time wouldn't matter, and maybe everything would be fine after that. Moreover, you weren't entirely against seeing Melissa one last time. You might have thought it was necessary, but you didn't expect a stranger like Edward to intervene suddenly, turning what you thought was a prank into a dangerous situation."
Regina suddenly didn't have the courage to look him in the eye.
Her deepest thoughts were exposed.
"Mrs. Semona, how many times do you need to remember that you're not living alone anymore? I'm in your life too. Don't you think it pains me to see you suffer and endure?"
"I'm sorry..."
"I don't need you to say sorry."
Regina took a deep breath, and as she pondered how to make amends, she heard his voice. "I want to hear you say that you'll always trust me and think of me first when you're in danger."
Regina was stunned for a moment.
Then, a light shone in her dim eyes.
She smiled softly and said firmly, "I will always trust you."
'Not just in times of danger, but in every happy and important moment of life, I will want to share it with you,' she thought.
Douglas raised his hand to touch her head, not intending to bring up the unpleasant events of yesterday again.
But not mentioning it in front of her didn't mean he would let it go.
"You expended too much energy yesterday. How about getting up and having something to eat?"
'Have I expended too much energy?' she considered.
Regina then suddenly remembered the latter half of last night.
Well... She did expend quite a bit.
Feeling a bit awkward, she got up silently and went to wash up.
Then she went downstairs to the dining room and saw a sumptuous breakfast laid out on the table.
Douglas walked over to her and pulled out a chair for her.
"No one usually stays here, so... I made breakfast today."
"Did you go out early to buy ingredients?"
"Jason brought the ingredients over."
As soon as Douglas mentioned Jason, Regina suddenly felt very uncomfortable. She mumbled an "oh" and said nothing more.
"He took your clothes left in the car to be dry-cleaned. Someone will bring over the clothes and some essentials later. Molly will also be brought over. The environment here is quite good. Your hand injury will take at least a month to heal. How about staying here for a change of scenery?"
Regina quickly refused, "This injury doesn't need a month to heal. A week at most. I feel uneasy not working."
Douglas didn't force her. Whatever she wanted to do was fine with him.
The two of them had breakfast together in the dining room.
Halfway through, Jason arrived.
Regina didn't dare to look up at him.
Jason felt a bit awkward too.
However, as a token of professional etiquette, he maintained a façade of unawareness regarding the events of last night, greeting her with reverence and presenting her with a replacement phone.
If Regina wasn't mistaken, this new phone was a high-end custom model of the same brand Douglas used.
"Mrs. Semona, the phone number has also been reissued. It's the same number you used before."
Regina looked at the new phone and frowned slightly.
Douglas noticed and asked, "What's wrong? Don't you like the phone model?"
"No."
Regina just remembered that her old phone had many memories. Although not a fan of photography, her phone was filled with photos of Tasha and some taken with Douglas.
Since she hadn't expected to lose her phone suddenly, she hadn't backed it up.
Regina glanced at the new phone and then put it away.
Jason stood there, not leaving.
Douglas looked up at him. "Is there something else?"
Jason indeed had some words he wished to share, yet he wavered on whether it was appropriate to express them in Regina's presence.
He had called Douglas three times this morning, but Douglas had his phone on silent and didn't answer.
Usually, Douglas wouldn't avoid Regina when discussing matters, but this time, he seemed to realize something and got up from his chair.
"Let's talk in the study."
