Chapter 174 Eyes on Her Belly
"No, don't get me wrong..." Regina's voice was soft and weak, perhaps out of embarrassment, "It's just that my chest feels a bit swollen and hurts."
Douglas' expression instantly tightened when he heared her explanation. "Pain? How severe ?"
"Well... it’s uncomfortable, sometimes it feels as hard as a rock."
Douglas understood what she meant.
Recalling how she had been sneaking around in the bathroom because of this, feeling uneasy, he paused for a moment and said, "You don't need to feel ashamed about this, nor do you need to avoid me. If you want, I can help."
When he said this, his expression was so serious that Regina felt she shouldn't let her mind wander to any inappropriate thoughts.
Blushing, she softly responded with an "Oh."
"You've been here for half an hour already, hurry up."
Regina nodded. After rinsing off, she changed into her pajamas and left the bathroom.
She got into bed and lay down next to Douglas.
Being pregnant with twins, Regina's belly showed quite quickly. After three months, when she wore a thin, form-fitting nightgown, a slight, graceful curve of her lower abdomen was already visible.
Douglas would stare at it from time to time, even when he was at the office.
Dorothy gossiped to Jason, puzzled, "Did you notice that Mr. Semona seemed to be staring at Ms. Valrose's belly just now?"
This scene had occurred not long ago.
Around nine in the morning, Douglas had run into Regina in the company lobby. He was following the Aurora project team out of the company, preparing to go to the Oriant City research and development center, when he happened to see Regina and Janet walking in from outside, chatting and laughing about something.
When Regina saw Douglas, she greeted him as usual, trying to remain calm and composed, "Hello, Mr. Semona." Then she continued walking with Janet.
After Regina passed by, it seemed like Douglas was drawn to her. He even stopped in his tracks, his gaze following her until she completely disappeared from his sight, leaving the people around him puzzled.
Dorothy, who had been by Douglas' side, was the most observant. She quickly noticed something off in Douglas' eyes.
"Mr. Green, why aren't you saying anything? This isn't like you."
After all, Douglas loved his wife very much.
This was already well-known in the company, but the way he looked at Regina was too ambiguous.
Dorothy knew that Jason had been with Douglas for almost ten years and that Douglas trusted him deeply. He must be well aware of Douglas on and off the job.
"Mr. Green?"
Jason had recently found Dorothy to be a bit troublesome. She would sometimes notice something off about this 'office' marriage.
In the past, Douglas and Regina might have concealed their relationship; Dorothy hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary in their daily interactions. However, Douglas' blatant disregard for their secret relationship began to show, leaving them increasingly vulnerable.
"Don't ask. Mr. Semona's private affairs are none of your business."
Dorothy fell silent.
She was already accustomed to Jason's upright demeanor; although curious, she didn't expect to extract anything from Jason.
She thought, 'Yes, just wait a little longer.
'With a bit more patience, I will surely uncover something!'
At 3 PM, Douglas returned to the office from the Aurora Project development center. Upon entering, he immediately summoned Dorothy, saying, "Tell Regina to come to my office."
Dorothy initially thought it was about the Aurora Project, as Regina had been handling translation and communication issues with the project's leader, Raymond, who was a dual national and had always been complimentary towards Regina.
Dorothy promptly relayed the message.
A few minutes later, Regina entered the executive office, but the door seemed to be closed for a long time before she came out.
Dorothy wondered if there was another communication issue with Raymond regarding the project?
While she was outside racking her brains with wild speculations, the scene inside the office was quite different.
As Regina approached the desk, Douglas pulled her onto his lap.
Recalling Dorothy's contemplative gaze when she entered, Regina felt something was off and tentatively asked, "Is there something you need to discuss?"
Douglas looked at her with gentle eyes, his hand on her waist firm yet restrained.
He opened his mouth to speak, his low voice echoing like a bomb detonating by her ear, "Is there something wrong? Mrs. Semona, does your chest hurt today?"
