Regina arrived home after work, already late at night, around 11 p.m.
As she entered, her phone rang. Initially, she thought it was a nuisance call, so she was about to hang up the call, but the caller ID froze her. It was Mr. Semona. She hesitated before answering; her mind went blank instantly, and she remained silent.
"You're still up?" he asked.
Regina replied, "I just finished work."
They have occasionally kept in touch over the past month. However, due to Regina's lack of social skills and her icy demeanor, those who had met her found her arrogant and difficult to get along with. Their interactions felt as distant as if a galaxy separated them. Who would have thought they were newlyweds who had just been married for a month?
Douglas didn't mind these things and engaged her in conversation.
"Did you work late today?"
Regina replied, "Yes."
"Your boss is a heartless capitalist," he joked. "You should come home earlier from now on." Regina thought to herself, 'That's not something I can decide.'
"I'm sorry I haven't been able to see you recently due to work. I promised to accompany you to visit Tasha. When are you available these days? I'll go with you to see her."
Thankfully, he still remembered this promise. Otherwise, Regina might have thought her marriage was in vain.
"Can we do it this Saturday?"
"Sure."
Upon hearing his affirmative response, Regina finally breathed a sigh of relief. She parted her lips, realizing she didn't have anything else special to say. "It's getting late. Mr. Semona, good night."
Douglas helplessly tugged at the corner of his mouth.
Evidently, she had already built a barrier around herself. It wasn't easy for him to get close to her.
Douglas had considered asking Regina to accompany him home this weekend to meet his family, but he decided to give up. The first reason was his complex family situation. The second reason was that he understood her personality and knew that progressing too quickly could lead to unfavorable outcomes.
Although Regina seemed to view this marriage as an agreement and transaction and didn't seem to have high expectations, for Douglas, it was hard-earned.
After bidding Regina goodnight, Douglas hung up the phone.
After their call, Regina looked forward to the weekend, especially introducing Douglas to Tasha. Even though she didn't spend much time with Douglas, Regina believed that Douglas excelled in terms of appearance, physique, and family background, as well as in character and manners.
Finally, on Friday, Regina planned to finish her work and leave after work quickly. Still, as the end of the day approached, Janet walked in, loudly announcing, "I was going to send a message in our group chat, but because this matter is urgent and important, I think it's better to say it in person. Tonight, all company employees are gathering for dinner. Everyone must attend. "
Regina's energy waned. She pondered whether to come up with an excuse to take leave, but Janet seemed to anticipate her thoughts and interrupted her contemplation." This dinner is to welcome our company's newly appointed CEO. Who among you intends to disrespect the CEO?".
The office erupted in excited murmurs. Lucia was particularly thrilled, exclaiming, "The CEO? Oh my gosh! Is the rumored CEO really coming?"
Janet was also excited. After all, she had heard more rumors about the new CEO than Lucia had. She was more interested in how the man who stood at the pinnacle of fame and fortune manipulated the direction of business development.
At 6 p.m., all company employees entered Oriant's most upscale hotel. This nearly 328-foot-tall hotel was built along the river. Its architecture resembles a grand sailing ship navigating the river.
A feast was about to begin.
Century Group had over two hundred thousand employees worldwide, but tonight's event was only for some of the headquarters' administrative staff.
The luxurious banquet hall was full, and Regina and her colleagues were seated at the far end. Unless something unexpected happened, they would only catch a glimpse of the CEO throughout the entire meal and have a close encounter with him.
Lucia and the other female colleagues were disappointed.
Before the dinner started, they chatted together until, ten minutes later, there was a commotion at the entrance of the banquet hall.
Everyone looked over in anticipation of seeing Century Group's top management accompany the newly appointed CEO.
The man leading the group was dressed in a suit. Just his perfect physique alone was enough to attract attention.
"No wonder they say tall men are charming," Lucia craned her neck to get a better look and couldn't help but exclaim as she saw the breathtaking profile that matched the photos.
Without exception, all eyes followed him absolutely.
Regina also tried to turn her head to catch a glimpse, but from her angle, all she could see was his back. After a moment of trying and realizing she couldn't see anything, Regina averted her gaze.
Just then, her phone, which was in her bag, started vibrating. Regina took it out and saw it was a call from the hospital.
Whenever it was about Tasha, she couldn't ignore it.
Glancing at the increasingly noisy venue, Regina quietly left and found a slightly quieter space to answer the call.
"Dr. Tooker, is something wrong with Tasha?"
"I feel it's necessary to inform you about Mrs. Tasha's condition in the past few days."
Listening to his serious tone, Regina felt nervous and listened attentively. Meanwhile, the banquet hall erupted in thunderous applause.
The applause was so loud that the voices in Regina's ears sounded muffled.
"Welcome, everyone, to tonight's dinner. Before the banquet begins, let's welcome Mr. Semona, the CEO of Century Group, Douglas Semona, to the stage, please."
As soon as the host finished speaking, everyone turned their attention to the stage.
Lucia and the other female colleagues were shocked to see Douglas's face magnified many times on the big screen, still flawless.
Douglas raised a glass of whiskey in his right hand, slightly tilting it upwards. A hint of casual warmth, mild for just a few seconds, softened his usual stern demeanor.
"Good evening. Starting today, I will be taking over Century Group."