Regina walked on, Philip's words still echoing in her ears. Surprisingly, she couldn't find a moment to be sad. All she wanted was to leave there quickly, to get away from him.
Perhaps due to the weather being a bit off today, taxis were scarce late at night. Regina shivered from the cold and couldn't even; the wind turned her umbrella inside out. She stood by the roadside in the pouring rain, and a strong thought suddenly popped into her mind.
Trembling, She took out her phone, dialed a number, and calmly said, "Cindy, could you help me arrange the meeting with Mr. Semona as we discussed?"
Cindy, the head of a large matchmaking agency, is also coincidentally Regina's neighbor. Impressed by Regina's beauty, education, and personality, she had been eager to introduce her to potential partners. Regina had politely declined several previous invitations, but this time, she brought it up, and Cindy was certainly willing to help. "But why did you suddenly agree? You've always been against blind dates," Cindy asked. Regina chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Oh, nothing. I've just changed my mind." Her grandmother was over seventy, suffering from hypertension and heart disease. Despite her failing health, she had been eagerly awaiting Regina's promise to introduce her boyfriend. Cindy acted swiftly.
The next morning, Regina met Douglas Semona. She dressed up and arrived at the coffee shop, a very stylish coffee shop. As she pushed open the door, a faint fragrance greeted her. Regina looked up and saw the man sitting across from her, sipping his coffee. She was taken aback, wondering if she had come to the right place. Regina had expected the man Cindy introduced to be decent, but she didn't anticipate him to be such an outstanding elite. He was dressed in a well-tailored suit, his physique evident even as he sat. At first glance, Regina found his face remarkably attractive. Regina hesitated before approaching and taking a seat across from him, softly asking, "Hello, are you Mr. Semona?" She tried to recall his full name, but it eluded her. The man raised his eyes slightly, his gaze deep, aloof, and enigmatic.
After a moment, he slowly asked, "Do you remember me?" His voice sounded strangely familiar. Regina's heart skipped a beat. His voice possessed an alluring smoothness, rich with texture. Regina, with her acute sensitivity to melodious tones, found herself particularly captivated. During college, she was a member of the Dubbing Club and took up voice acting as a part-time job after graduation, recording many radio pieces. However, his question seemed a bit weird.
Regina thought for a moment and replied, "I'm the one Cindy introduced, your blind date." The man fell silent, thinking, 'She has forgotten me so quickly.'
It wasn't entirely Regina's fault. After all, he rarely appeared in public, and there was little information about him online. The few photos of him were also not very clear. And that night, she had been drunk. The room was dark. Regina was well aware of her purpose in coming here.
She said directly, "Cindy should have told you about my situation, right? But I still want to tell you. My name is Regina. I'm twenty-six years old, a local of Oriant, and I graduated from Norman University with a major in foreign languages."
In addition, she was proficient in various languages and possessed a high linguistic talent.
"I'm currently working at Century Group, and I recently joined as a councilor. Besides, I have two part-time jobs. I don't have a car now, but I have an apartment in Oriant, which was left to me by Tasha. My parents divorced when I was eight and have since started new families. I currently live with Tasha. Her health is not that good, and she needs about four thousand dollars per month, including medical and caregiver expenses. But I can afford it myself. The reason why I'm in a hurry to get married, to be honest, is also because of Tasha. She wants to see me married."
Regina was honest with the man in front of her about her situation. She had thought it through before coming. Marriage was a very realistic matter, almost like a trade. Since it was a negotiation, they should make everything clear. If they were not suitable, they should give up immediately." I had a relationship before."
Hearing this, the man's originally indifferent expression changed slightly. Regina didn't notice, but seeing him silent, she could roughly guess his thoughts on the matter. "If you mind, you can just tell me."
"What if I don't mind?" His deep voice sounded calm, as always. He seemed like a person with stable emotions.
Regina's reaction was a bit slow. Although she had prepared herself mentally in advance, she felt a bit flustered at the moment.
After a moment of silence, Regina gathered her courage and said, "If you don't mind, we can try to date. I heard that you are also eager to get married." Regina had heard about his situation from Cindy. She knew that he was twenty-nine years old, and his parents were still alive. He was a local of Oriant, a private company executive. The reason he participated in the blind date was also because his family was urging him. This was a transaction.
Regina thought he should be a good partner for marriage. Of course, his thoughts were also important.
He smiled, "So, you don't need love?"
"Not really." Feeling a bit uncomfortable being seen through, Regina thought for a moment and said politely, "If both sides are willing to put effort into a relationship, I believe that feelings will develop in the future."
He shook his head, "I'm not into love." Regina's eyelashes fluttered slightly, but she maintained a generous smile on her face. "Then I'm sorry to bother you."
Just as Regina was about to get up, his voice sounded, "I mean let's get married today."
‘They get married right away?’ Regina thought her decision was already bold enough, but the man in front of her seemed even more daring.
The dim light of the coffee shop fell on her slightly stiff delicate features due to her shock. He toyed with the edge of the cup with his fingertips, his tone calm, "Are you afraid?"
"You seem more anxious than me?"
"So you want to continue to delay?" His expression was indifferent and his tone calm, but it made Regina feel a little sad. "Sure thing, my family has been urging me, and I find it annoying. I don't want to delay finding a suitable person. If you're afraid, we can try a six-month trial marriage."
Before he could finish, Regina immediately agreed, "Okay, we can sign a prenuptial agreement and have a six-month trial marriage. If we are not suitable, we can divorce at any time. It's best if our marriage news is not made public, so it won't delay you from finding another girl in the future. I have only one request, I hope that when we separate, my grandmother will not know."
He thought, 'We can't be unsuitable.' It seemed that he had long been accustomed to carefully planning every step, thinking that each step he took was appropriate.
He stood up and walked to her side. He was tall, like a wall that could surround her tightly. "Let's go."
Regina was stunned for a moment, slowly got up, and the two left the coffee shop and went straight to the city hall. It was still raining heavily that day, but Regina didn't look disheveled at all. He held an umbrella for her all the way, so that she didn't get a drop of rain on her. Although she had initially married him for not entirely pure reasons, and only met him once, inexplicably, this man gave her a sense of security.
After completing all the procedures, Regina sat in the car, looking at the marriage license, staring at the name of the man on the marriage license, Douglas Semona.