Chapter 49 Initiative
Jason, despite his imposing appearance, had a sensitive side.
After Regina's inquiry, he shared his thoughts, "Mr. Semona knew that Philip went to the hospital to see you. He initially intended to visit Tasha but turned back halfway." Jason paused for a moment and asked, "Do you understand what I mean, Ms. Valrose?"
Regina, holding her phone, had a brief moment of blankness before responding softly, "I do."
"Alright." Jason pondered for a moment and inquired further, "Is there anything else?"
"No," Regina replied.
"Then I'll hang up," Jason said.
"Alright."
Regina stared at her darkened phone screen, finally having a moment to contemplate Jason's words. Douglas knew that Philip had gone to the hospital to find her. He had intended to visit Tasha, but he didn't, so something must have happened.
That left only one possibility: Douglas was angry.
So, that's why he hadn't come home for several days, nor had he messaged her to update his whereabouts or share his daily life.
Regina became more convinced of her suspicions. Being entangled with an ex was indeed disrespectful to the current partner. Regina sat on the sofa, feeling a sense of helplessness. Though she disliked conflict, she remembered her six-year relationship with Philip; they would occasionally argue. Of course, every time they fought, Regina didn't think she did anything wrong. Because she's cold-hearted and not good at sweet talk, and Philip wasn't used to submitting every time they argued. Each time, they would have a silent treatment for a while before naturally makeup.
But this time, Regina knew she couldn't handle it the same way.
The next day, Regina anxiously waited for the end of her workday, but she found herself unable to leave the office. Miranda invited Regina to have dinner together. She found a new, delicious Thai restaurant near their office and wanted to take her there to try it out.
Regina made an excuse to refuse, saying, "I have to work overtime tonight."
"Alright then." Miranda looked at the thick stack of files piled up in front of Regina, pouted, and left on her own. By the time it was past nine in the evening, the office employees had gradually left. Regina was the only one left in the entire translation department. While meticulously busy with her work, she still found time to be distracted. Not knowing what she was thinking, she hesitated for a while, then freed a hand to pick up her phone and send Jason a text: [Jason, do you have a girlfriend?]
Jason stared at the inexplicable text on the screen, was stunned for a moment, then belatedly replied that he didn't.
This made things a bit difficult. Regina thought for a moment, then braced herself to continue asking: [What would you want your girlfriend to do if she made you angry?]
Being Douglas's assistant, Jason must be smart. He should be able to understand her hint.
Sure enough, Jason quickly understood that Regina was trying to find out how to appease Douglas. For someone like Jason, who's never been in a relationship, he didn't know how to answer this question. However, if the person in question was Douglas, Jason could answer easily.
Jason replied: [Ms. Valrose, if you show some affection, Mr. Semona will definitely not be angry anymore. Just take the initiative.]
Take the initiative?
[How do I take the initiative?]
This stumped Jason, who's usually capable of anything.
[Mr. Semona is still in the office. If you're still at the company, you can come over later.]
Jason's response was a wake-up call for Regina. If she were to take the initiative, she at least needed to be by his side, even if it meant explaining what happened or apologizing.
Regina thanked him and hurriedly finished some of her work. Half an hour later, when no one was paying attention, she appeared at the door of the CEO's office.
Jason was waiting for her at the door.
Regina smiled at him, appreciative of his help. "Can I go in now? Is he still busy? If he's busy, I can go in later."
"It's okay, you can go in."
Jason had already informed Douglas in advance and even showed him the chat record with Regina. After knowing the whole process, Douglas rarely praised him, saying he did a good job.
At this moment, Douglas was leisurely waiting for Regina to come over.
Regina walked lightly into the office.
As she entered, she looked up and saw Douglas standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window behind his desk, looking at the bustling scene below the high-rise building.
"Mr. Semona?"
Regina tentatively spoke out, causing Douglas's brows to furrow slightly. Every time she called him Mr. Semona, it showed that she was indeed slow to warm up to their marriage.
Douglas slowly turned around, wearing a white shirt with his cuffs slightly rolled up, and lazily glanced at her.
Seeing him like this, Regina's nerves weren't as tight.
"I wanted to explain what happened at the hospital the other day."
"Go ahead."
Despite everything being under Douglas's control, he didn't show any impatience and listened as she detailed what had happened that day.
In the end, she said softly, "Are you angry?"
"No."
"Then why have you been..."
Seeing her hesitation, Douglas knew what she wanted to ask.
He took a few steps forward, coming to her side. Regina wasn't short, but he was too tall. He had to bend down and lower his head for their eyes to meet. Seeing his stunning face suddenly close up, Regina's heart tightened again.
"I've been wondering if I'm too clingy. I always text you; don't you find me annoying?" Douglas said.
So, was this the reason why he hadn't texted her or shared his whereabouts and daily life with her for several days?
Regina pursed her lips, and after some mental struggle, she finally confessed, "No, on the contrary, these past few days when you didn't text me, I was overthinking it for a long time."
"So, you want me to continue as before?" Douglas asked.
"I..." The question shook Regina.
At first, she was indeed prepared for a contractual marriage, to separate after half a year, but now, it seemed like she was telling herself to give it a try.
"If it's possible, I hope you can continue as before," Regina answered.
Douglas smiled satisfactorily. "Alright, I got it, Mrs. Semona."
He took a step back, finally waiting for her to take the initiative. Of course, if possible, he hoped that their relationship could progress further tonight. After all, he had been thinking about what Charles had said for several days. Charles said Regina had no feelings for him. He even suspected Regina of being frigid. Douglas guessed Regina wasn't frigid.
However, their first time together wasn't very pleasant, so that Regina might have developed a psychological shadow.
