Chapter 231 Douglas's Perspective: The Road to Love (1)

As Regina embarked on her new job, it was no surprise that Douglas was the one to drive her there.

Just as Regina was about to step out of the car, Douglas called out, "Mrs. Semona."

Regina's hand froze on the car door. She turned to look at Douglas in the driver's seat and smiled, "What's up, honey? Something on your mind?"

Douglas wasn't sure why he called her name.

After a few seconds, he came up with a quick excuse. "It's your first day, and I thought you might be nervous. Wanted to give you a little pep talk. Come here, let me give you a kiss."

Regina was quiet for a moment.

Even though she was a bit confused, she leaned in for the kiss.

Douglas kept it light, not wanting to mess up her makeup. He just brushed her lips and pulled back.

Regina said, "I'm heading in now."

"Okay."

She got out of the car and walked away. When she turned back, she saw his car still parked there, so she waved again.

Douglas smiled as he sat in the car, watching her until she was completely out of sight. He kept staring in the direction she left for a long time.

That day, Douglas stayed in the car for a while. No one knew what he was thinking.

A few hours later, Charles called, asking if he was free that evening to hang out, saying it felt like ages since they'd last seen each other.

Douglas replied, "Lily's got a cold. She needs me, so I can't."

He had already taken two days off to take care of Lily.

Charles seemed to expect this and shrugged. "Alright then."

But before hanging up, he muttered, "We used to see each other all the time, and now it's like once a year. If we don't make an effort, we might never see each other again."

Douglas didn't say anything at the time, but on the drive back, he kept thinking about what Charles had said. 'Yeah, in a big city like this, if you don't make an effort, you might never see each other again.'

Just like when he hid his feelings, if he hadn't kept approaching Regina, they might have stayed as two parallel lines that never crossed.

Douglas thought back to the day they met.

It was a rainy winter day, in a coffee shop.

Douglas sat there, waiting for her to show up.

They had agreed to meet at ten in the morning, but he had been there since early.

No one knew the storm brewing beneath his calm exterior.

During the wait, his emotions were all over the place.

Finally, he heard the door open.

Trying to calm his racing heart, he looked up.

When their eyes met, Douglas felt like his heart might leap out of his chest.

His hand holding the cup trembled.

Maybe Regina was just as nervous and didn't catch that fleeting moment.

During their chat, it became clear she didn't remember him, didn't recognize him.

Sure, he felt a bit bummed, but it didn't last long.

He started putting his long-planned scheme into action, step by step.

Deeply aware of how precious their marriage and family were, he worked tirelessly to nurture their bond, cherishing every moment they shared.

He slowly turned everything he had dreamed of into reality.

They got a dog named Molly.

After work, they loved taking Molly for walks.

They'd watch fireworks together, listen to radio dramas, and do all the couple stuff.

Douglas wanted to make up for the lost time. He wanted her to see that love and marriage were beautiful, not something that would ruin her life.

After all, she had just broken up with Philip not too long ago.

Even though she left Philip decisively, Douglas knew her heart was still hurting.

Once, he got an invite from Normon University's Dubbing Club for their tenth-anniversary event, asking him to be a guest.

He was always busy with work, and when he got the invite, he was on a business trip abroad. So, he declined without much thought.

But the day after he flew back and declined the invite, he heard Regina mention the event.

She said, "Let's wait and see. I heard they're inviting a very important guest. If he goes, I'll go too."

She didn't say who the important guest was, but he knew it was him.

He could hardly keep from smiling.

Even though he was super happy inside, he played it cool.

When the car stopped at a red light, he quickly messaged the person in charge of Normon University's Dubbing Club, saying he was willing to attend.

At the event, with so many eyes on him, his gaze was on her the whole time.

Sadly, she didn't seem to notice.

Sometimes she was super sharp, and other times she was totally oblivious.

He took that chance to confess his feelings.

In his speech, he kept mentioning "my wife," and the crowd went wild. But she never thought those words were meant for her.

Later, there was a signing event, limited to one hour.

He saw her in the middle of the line. After waiting for an hour and still not getting a signature, she looked a bit down.

He then told the host to sign fifteen more.

Just enough to get to her.

He wrote on the poster a classic line from "Loving You for a Long Time," which also reflected his feelings over the years: [I've always been standing where she couldn't see, longing to be seen by her.]

She seemed to realize something, a familiar feeling surged at such a close distance.

But that time, they still missed each other.

However, Douglas didn't feel as regretful about this miss.

The longer they were together, the more obvious it became that he had liked her for years, and he couldn't hide it no matter how hard he tried.

The first time she noticed something was off was when she saw he followed Miranda's Instagram.

Why did he follow Miranda's Instagram? Well, that went back to their college days.

Back then, he had already watched a couple of performances by the Dubbing Club.

Nicole asked if he was into dubbing.

He didn't hide anything.

Later, Nicole thought about it and asked if he wanted some connections.

He didn't get what she meant at first.

Nicole smiled and said, "I have a classmate in the Dubbing Club. You can contact her. Whenever the club has events or you have any thoughts on dubbing, you can talk to her."

Douglas felt like Nicole's casual mention was a guiding light for him.

So, just like that, Douglas followed Miranda's Instagram.

Miranda posted a lot.

Sometimes she'd post two or three times a day, sharing photos, vlogs, and all sorts of stuff.

What made Douglas feel lucky was that Regina often appeared in Miranda's posts.

For a while, Douglas was always at Normon University.

Even Nicole started to get annoyed.

She complained, "Douglas, I'm grown up. I'm not a kid anymore. Can you stop coming to school to see me all the time?"

Naive Nicole never realized that Douglas wasn't coming for her at all.

After arriving at the school, Douglas would have a quick meal with Nicole and then enjoy walking around the vast campus alone.

At that time, he was no more than twenty-four years old. He didn't seem out of place walking among a group of students. On the contrary, wherever he went, he attracted a lot of attention.

Someone secretly took his photo and posted it on the school's forum, causing an instant sensation.

It was an autumn sunset. A vibrant autumn sunset bathed the sky in gold, casting a warm light on the bustling corridor of the Department of Foreign Languages' teaching building, where students and faculty alike hurried to and from.

Douglas, in a white shirt, walked among the crowd, still the most noticeable one. Born as a God's favored one, Douglas seemed to be especially loved by the sunset that day, with the light falling on him being particularly dazzling.

His superior looks and unique temperament made everyone in the Department of Foreign Languages notice his presence that day.

Except for her.

That day, Douglas even went to her classroom, trying to create a chance encounter.

However, she had taken the day off.

She had a fight with Philip.

She was busy dealing with that relationship, busy making sure Philip wasn't angry. All her thoughts were on Philip, with no time for anyone else.

Regina never knew that on this day, she and Douglas had missed each other.

This was just one of their countless missed encounters.

Douglas didn't blame God or anyone else.

He only blamed himself.

Normon University often invited well-known figures from all over to give lectures.

In Regina's junior year, Douglas accepted one of those invitations.

Douglas's visit, unsurprisingly, caused another buzz on campus.

The venue, which could hold tens of thousands, was packed early on.

Douglas had known through Miranda's posts that she and Regina would be at the lecture.

He was brimming with anticipation, fervently hoping she would come, see him, and remember who he was.

But the higher the hopes, the harder the fall. His anticipation soared like a roller coaster to the peak and then crashed down.

That day, Regina didn't show up.

Because Philip had come to Normon City.

For some reason, Douglas, who had gotten used to this, suddenly felt a surge of frustration.

He thought, 'I want to see her, I have to..'

After the lecture, he went to the Department of Foreign Languages and had a pleasant chat with the dean.

Since the Semona family owned multiple corporations with global operations, Normon University had been sending many top graduates to the Century Group over the years. He talked to the dean about the need for talent and expressed his desire to meet some of the outstanding students.

The dean got the hint and called some of the top students to the conference hall.

Regina, who was on a date with Philip, was also called over.

That was the first time Regina met Douglas.

Regina was immediately struck by Douglas's presence.

She saw him sitting on the podium, effortlessly chatting with the professors.

For a moment, Regina found herself inexplicably drawn to him.

Douglas watched her take a seat in the conference hall, her eyes fixed on him.

At that moment, he felt a sense of vanity and satisfaction.

This meeting gave Douglas the chance to have a closer conversation with the group of outstanding student representatives from the college.

The conversation took place in an office specially prepared for him by the dean.

He admitted he had ulterior motives.

For a chance to talk to her, he had already spoken with twenty-six people before her.

She was the twenty-seventh person to appear before him.

Douglas, feeling a bit guilty, idly fiddled with a gold lighter in his hand.

She, however, introduced herself confidently and gracefully in front of him, her eyes clear and untainted.

"Mr. Semona, hello, my name is Regina. I'm twenty-one years old, a junior majoring in French."

Regina never imagined that a few years later, she would sit in front of him again, introducing herself.

"My name is Regina. I'm twenty-six years old, a local of Oriant City. I graduated from the Department of Foreign Languages at Normon University, majoring in French."

"We can try dating."

After that conversation, Douglas got Regina's contact information.

Later, he chatted with her once and called her once.