Chapter 176 Do Something He Likes to Cheer Him Up
Douglas' expression finally softened a bit after he heard this.
After a moment of silence, he asked her, "When can our relationship go public?"
This was no longer something Regina worried or feared about.
In the beginning, she might have been concerned about the uncertainty of their relationship and tried to hide it, but now her belly was so big that it felt embarrassing to keep it a secret.
The child in her belly should be able to call them mom and dad rightfully.
Regina chuckled lightly and said calmly, "Let's just go with the flow."
When Raymond found out, she told him. If someone else noticed something off next time, she would just tell them directly.
The car drove all the way to the villa on Springfield Road.
After a busy day, the most comfortable state was lying in bed after a clean wash, so when they got home, Regina went to the bathroom to freshen up first.
Douglas sat on the sofa in the room, taking a call.
It was Jason calling, "Mr. Semona, is it convenient to talk now?"
Douglas listened to the sound of water coming from the bathroom and responded lightly.
"Philip is in the ICU."
Douglas' face remained mostly unchanged, only his fingers tapped the armrest of the sofa intermittently, as if casually asking, "What happened?"
"Edward wants to return to the board. He signed agreements with several major shareholders in private, who agreed to transfer their shares to him for free. Philip disagreed and hired a lawyer to sue. They were at a stalemate because of this."
No one knew why Edward went to Philip's office or what happened between them, but it was said that Edward had somehow gone mad and stabbed Philip.
Upon hearing this, Douglas sneered, "Useless."
Jason didn't know who he was calling 'useless.'
It could be Edward, who had spent his life trying to maintain a calm, restrained, and righteous image, but the stab would almost ruin it. Public opinion would definitely put him in a disadvantageous position.
It could also be Philip.
Philip was stabbed in an attempt to reverse the situation.
No one knew if the stab hit a vital organ or if he would survive.
Jason asked, "Mr. Semona, what should we do next about Edward..."
"If he's useless, just discard him. Such a simple matter doesn't need to be asked."
Jason quickly agreed.
"By the way, Mr. Semona, there's another matter." Jason sped up his report, not daring to disturb Douglas too much late at night. "There's news about Melissa."
Since Melissa's disappearance, there had been no news except for Sandra's futile efforts.
Douglas had created a peaceful environment for Regina.
Although Regina had never mentioned Melissa in front of him these days, Douglas knew it was like a thorn deeply embedded in her heart. It didn't bleed or hurt much, but it couldn't be easily removed.
Jason briefly reported Melissa's latest movements.
It seemed she was indeed doing what she wrote in her letter to Regina. She wanted to let go of everything, travel the world, and live for herself for a while in the few days she had left.
She no longer had to think about how to please her husband, how to stand firm in that family, or constantly strategize for Sandra's life.
Melissa later found it laughable. She had spent her life protecting Sandra, but the ship named Sandra sank deeper the further it sailed.
She had really made a mistake.
Jason reported, "Yesterday, she booked a ticket to Frannice."
Melissa wanted to visit Frannice because she knew that Regina had majored in French at university. One Christmas, after much effort, Melissa managed to get Regina to have a meal with her. During that time, Melissa asked Regina about her studies and life in general.
Somehow, the topic of visiting Frannice came up in conversation. Regina mentioned, almost in passing, that she'd like to visit, and Melissa remembered it.
However, with Regina's busy schedule—studying, working, and earning money—she never found the time for such a trip.
Melissa felt a deep sense of regret and guilt.
She had always accompanied Sandra to every place she wanted to visit when Sandra was young. Yet, despite remembering Regina's wish to visit Frannice, she had never managed to make it happen.
"Keep a close watch on her. I don't want her causing any trouble in front of Regina," Douglas had instructed.
For Douglas, Melissa was free to go wherever she pleased, as long as she didn't die in front of Regina—he would handle the aftermath.
Not long after Douglas ended his call with Jason, Regina emerged from the bathroom after her shower.
She instinctively walked over to the sofa and asked, puzzled, "Aren't you going to shower?"
Regina had expected that he would have already gotten cleaned up by the time she finished.
"I'm going now." Douglas said, leaning in to place a gentle kiss on her soft lips before heading towards the bathroom.
Unable to fall asleep, Regina grabbed her phone to listen to a radio drama. But as soon as she unlocked the screen, a series of news alerts caught her eye.
All the headlines were about Philip being stabbed and hospitalized.
The headlines were alarming.
With a long wound, he was in the ICU, unconscious, and the hospital had issued a critical condition notice.
Regina was stunned, her gaze fixed on the phone screen.
After an indeterminate amount of time, she blinked her aching eyes and lay down on the bed. Lost in thought, she didn't immediately notice when Douglas returned from his shower and joined her in bed, holding her close.
"What's on your mind?"
Douglas probably already knew what she was thinking. Her phone lay beside her, its screen still glowing with the news she hadn't exited.
Regina hesitated for a moment and then noticed the phone's screen. She casually put it away, pretending to be nonchalant.
She wasn't sure if Douglas would be upset with her for being distracted by Philip's situation.
At that moment, Regina was trying to figure out how to soothe Douglas.
Douglas wasn't intentionally trying to make things difficult for her. "If you're not thinking about anything, just go to sleep."
She thought, 'From his tone, he must be annoyed, right?'
Regina guessed and speculated endlessly in her mind.
As Douglas turned off the lights and closed his eyes, Regina snuggled softly into his embrace. "I… I was actually thinking, since my first trimester is over, we should be able to… you know, be intimate again, right?"
Douglas wondered if she was trying to say or do something he liked to make up for her earlier distraction, thinking it might help soothe him.
