Chapter 17 Mrs. Semona, Are You Satisfied
He sent her a photo.
The photo was taken this morning, with him standing by the French window.
The winter morning was veiled in mist, and warm, orange sunlight was streaming through the full-length window. It was a beautiful sight.
Regina stared at the photo, feeling a sense of joy.
Her fingers hovered over the screen, wondering about his intentions while she thought about how to reply to him.
Douglas waited for her reply for a long time, smiling texted,
[ I just thought the view was beautiful this morning, so I wanted to share it with you, Mrs. Semona.]
Regina hesitated before responding: [It's beautiful.]
Regina was not one to share much, but he had shared the morning view with her. Later, he sent her his schedule for the day, including a round of golf with some executives. He even sent a photo of the golf course. In the evening, he sent a picture from the Peace Club.
Regina was surprised. She wondered why he felt the need to share so much with her.
[I didn't see you in the photo, Mr. Semona.] she replied.
Douglas smiled, put out his cigarette, and took a selfie, sending it to her.
[Are you satisfied, Mrs. Semona?] he asked.
His face was undeniably flawless from any angle.
Regina smiled and sent him a cute cat sticker, hesitating for a few seconds.
Douglas was taken aback when he saw that cute sticker.
"Douglas, why are you smiling? It's your turn! Did something good happen?" teased a man across the table.
Douglas lazily played a card, clearly not interested. He seemed to have lost his focus.
He was supposed to win, but in the end, Charles won.
"Douglas, thank you!" Charles was delighted with his win.
Tonight, Douglas was unlucky, and Charles won a lot of money.
Soon, another round began at the table.
As they played, they chatted.
"Douglas, are you really married? Michael called and asked you, and you said it was true. Did you take the marriage license today?"
This topic had come up before tonight.
Thinking of Regina's attitude towards their marriage, Douglas hesitated to tell them the truth.
He laughed at himself. They understood that Douglas was hiding something from them.
"Douglas, Leo is pushing you to get married! You didn't just randomly find someone to marry, right?"
"Do you really like Michael? Are you marrying her just to please Leo?"
"Mrs. Semona is so pitiful!"
"You're playing with us so late. She doesn't care about you. It's late, and she hasn't called you. She doesn't care at all."
"You don't love each other at all."
Douglas was speechless.
They were all teasing him. They had grown up together, so they often teased each other.
Douglas ignored them. He looked at his watch.
It was almost dawn, and he was having a run of bad luck tonight. He was also tired. After losing another round of cards, he put down his cards and asked Charles's companion to take his place.
He walked out of the private room and into the corridor, where he lit a cigarette.
After a while, he took out his phone from his pocket and dialed a call.
Regina, who was in a taxi on her way back to the apartment, answered the call. She thought Douglas would be out late with his friends.
"Is the party over?"
"Not yet."
His voice sounded a bit husky. He seemed tired.
Regina asked quickly, "Are you feeling unwell?"
Douglas leaned against the wall, slowly exhaling smoke. "A little."
"Why are you feeling unwell?"
"I was being laughed at."
She wondered, 'Who would dare to do that?'
"Why were they laughing at you?"
Douglas paused for a moment, his gaze falling on a figure in the distance.
It was Philip.
It wasn't weird to see him here; after all, he was a regular.
Tonight, he was accompanied by a young girl, probably in her early twenties.
Philip walked forward with a serious expression, and the girl followed behind him. As they approached the VIP room, Philip noticed a man smoking on the other side.
Despite the smoke, Philip recognized Douglas's face at a glance.
He thought, 'So, it's him, the man who was born to stand at the top of the world.'
Philip's hand, hanging by his side, involuntarily clenched. He admitted that he had always been hostile towards Douglas, a hostility that probably started in their youth.
Over the years, Philip's father often talked about Douglas.
His father's exact words were, "You can't compare to Douglas at all!"
He thought, 'My life is so miserable!'
Every time he felt he had done his best, he was always told that he was no match for that man named Douglas!
Philip stopped.
The deep-seated humiliation seemed to be torn apart by a hand.
He stood only a few steps away from Douglas, staring at him, but Douglas seemed not to see him. Douglas just picked up his phone and continued his conversation.
On the other end of the line, Regina hadn't heard his voice for a long time. She thought he was angry.
So, she asked carefully, "Why were they laughing at you?"
"I'm married, yet Mrs. Semona remains indifferent to my existence. They all seem to view me as some pitiable creature."
Regina was rendered speechless by his admission.
The revelation caught her off guard, leaving both Regina and Philip taken aback.
Philip knew that Douglas was married, but no one knew who he was married to. No one knew if he was really married.
Although Douglas seemed indifferent, Philip felt that Douglas was in pain.
In any case, Philip was quite glad to see this proud man sad.
He smiled sarcastically and turned to enter the private room.
At that moment, Douglas said, "I've had some drinks. Mrs. Semona, can you come to the Peace Club to pick me up?"
