Chapter 173 Pain During Pregnancy
For a long time, Philip was self-righteous, always thinking that with Regina's temperament, it was impossible for her to fall for a 'rapist.'
But later, reality disappointed him time and time again.
Philip stared motionlessly at the photo on his phone. Perhaps because he had been staring for too long, his eyes turned red and sore.
What was even more unexpected was that this scene occurred during a major shareholders' meeting at the company.
"Mr. Sterling?" The meeting inexplicably fell into a deadlock, and Mars couldn't help but walk over to Philip to remind him, "It's your turn to speak."
Now, more than half of the shareholders agreed to transfer Edward's shares. Normally, Philip should have approved this decision.
But just as he was about to vote, his attention was entirely captured by his phone. Ten minutes had passed, and he still hadn't responded.
The large conference room was dead silent, and everyone around the long meeting table frowned secretly.
Only Edward, sitting beside Philip, remained unhurried and composed.
The entire meeting lasted an hour, but the smirk on Edward's face never faded.
To be honest, the speed at which he went from a mess to having a slight advantage was something Edward hadn't anticipated.
After William's death, there was a period when Philip almost drove him crazy.
The dark side hidden beneath his calm and restrained exterior was triggered.
That time, in his bid to get back at Philip, Douglas thought he had uncovered Philip's vulnerabilities. He kidnapped Regina and did something outrageously extreme and ugly in his life.
Douglas' act of revenge left him with lingering dread and deep regret over the kidnapping. He knew now that Douglas wasn't just looking to let him go. Instead, Douglas saw him as a pawn in a game against Philip.
At this critical juncture, his only chance of survival was to outmaneuver Philip. Failure to do so meant he'd be nothing more than a discarded piece in Douglas' plans. The aftermath would be far from peaceful.
At this moment, Edward, having regained his composure and rationality, presented himself with the same confident facade as ever. Using his usual persuasive tactics, he aimed to come out on top in this brutal clash.
He quietly savored the sight of Philip's current predicament.
Of course, knowing Philip as he did, Edward understood that Philip wouldn't be shaken by this minor setback.
Eventually, Philip emerged from Regina's Twitter feed, slowly closing his phone, and extended his hand toward Mars.
Mars, relieved, quickly handed over a thick stack of documents to Philip.
The documents were slammed onto the conference table, spreading across its length.
The atmosphere in the room instantly grew heavy.
Philip's nature was well-known among the company's shareholders, large and small. They were all too aware of his uncompromising demeanor.
Philip glanced at Edward with a smirk. "Edward, I know you're a man of integrity, abiding by the law. So, let's handle the stock transfer through my lawyer. We'll stick to legal procedures."
Edward's hand, hidden beneath the table, tightened into a fist. "What are you implying?"
"What do you think I'm implying, brother? This is an illegal stock transfer. You and your allies are conspiring and colluding to benefit yourselves at the expense of me and other shareholders. Do you expect me to agree to that?"
Philip thought, 'When you try to play by the rules with me, I'll play dirty. And when you play dirty with me, I'll revert to the law.'
This time, Edward managed to keep his composure. "I pride myself on my integrity. If you insist on playing this game, I'll gladly oblige."
Philip was thoroughly fed up with Edward's pretense.
Philip thought, 'That day on the rooftop, Edward's coercion of Regina is still fresh in my mind. How can Edward act so righteous and fearless in front of me?
'I'll make Edward pay sooner or later.'
During the meeting, Edward pressed on relentlessly, but Philip remained unyielding. Edward's inability to advance any further was expected. His face, however, remained composed.
But after the meeting, Edward entered Philip's office, shutting the door behind him and locking it from the inside.
Philip smirked coldly. "You claim to be a paragon of integrity, but what's this sneaky business now?"
"I fear nothing, but I worry about what you might fear," Edward said, trying to sound calm, though inside, he felt like a drop of water hitting a hot pan.
The isolation of the room was shaking his resolve. "Philip, how can you be so heartless and still sleep soundly in that position? Aren't you afraid our father might come back from the grave to make you pay for your sins?"
"Empty threats."
"I will find evidence eventually!"
"Then come back when you have it."
Philip's nonchalant demeanor left Edward feeling powerless.
With a scowl, Edward stormed out of the office.
Philip sneered and then returned to his work with a calm, unaffected demeanor. Yet, his mind wandered back to that night in the hospital room.
He had talked with William for what felt like hours.
Later, he watched helplessly as William died before his eyes.
During Regina's pregnancy, she often experienced severe pain in her chest. Her breasts had noticeably grown and would occasionally hurt so much that she would need to massage them herself.
There was, however, a peculiar sense of shame about this. One time, while she was in the bathroom taking a shower, the pain became unbearable, and she started to massage her breasts.
At that moment, Douglas unexpectedly walked in.
Having been concerned about her staying in the bath for too long—something not advisable during pregnancy—Douglas hadn't hesitated to enter, thinking it was not an embarrassing situation given their relationship.
But he hadn't expected to see what he did.
Regina, usually reserved about intimacy, was in the bathtub, somewhat uncontrollably touching herself.
He thought, 'Has she been feeling a need for intimacy that she is too shy to mention?'
Douglas's usually calm and composed face showed rare surprise. Caught between entering and leaving, he stood there awkwardly.
Regina hurriedly tried to explain, "It's not what you think. I was just... just..."
"Mrs. Semona, are you... are you pleasuring yourself?"
At that moment, Regina's face turned as red as if it were on fire.
If she could, she would have sunk her entire body into the bathtub.
