A woman's voice yelled in the meeting hall, "This decision is unacceptable!" Regina, an attractive woman with dark eyes, voiced her disagreement with the unfair verdict against her. She couldn’t believe her rival company had been chosen over hers. Resenting the selection of a company led by someone she despised for the hotel project, Regina felt cheated. "CEO Kim, didn’t you consider that Grace Company's offer was better than Jian Company's? Why did you choose CEO Jian instead? Wasn't that our initial agreement?” “Questioning a client's decision is highly unprofessional,” replied Henry Miller Jian sharply. Exuding authority with his pristine appearance—neatly styled black hair, a handsome face with a firm jawline, fair skin, thick eyebrows, and sharp almond-shaped brown eyes—his demeanor radiated superiority, and a smirk played at the corners of his lips. “However, it’s understandable. She's new to this industry.” Regina glared at him, her eyes filled with loathing. Clenching her sl
Regina's eyes widened with the shift in the situation. What was going on with this child? She was just trying to help, but he responded like this. She didn't want to get dragged into this troublesome mess. "Hey, little boy, who are you calling mom? I haven't even given birth, let alone been pregnant." The guests began to whisper to each other. Regina's ears caught snippets of their conversations. "It must be Miss Tan who trapped Mr. Jian into having a child!" "No wonder she stooped so low. Regina Tan has high ambitions willing to do anything. She pretends to hate Young Master Jian, but ends up having a child with him and won't even acknowledge it, truly embarrassing!" The negative responses from the people, accompanied by disdainful glances, made Regina feel uncomfortable. Regina clenched her fists. "Damn it! What kind of situation is this? Shouldn't you be criticizing him for not acknowledging his child? Why am I the one being looked down upon here? I'm not crazy enough to sleep
Regina strode into the vast grounds of the magnificent house, her expression a tumult of emotions. She turned around, but the car was already gone. "Was my decision the right one? I'll have to contact him again to reconsider." Entering the house, Regina was immediately met with a piercing gaze and a slap landing on her cheek. The blow was so forceful it sent her tumbling to the ground. She held her reddening cheek. "You disobedient child! All you ever do is cause trouble!" A middle-aged man glared at her with anger, while a glamorous woman beside him looked on with disdain. "I've raised you to be a perfect, elegant woman who could serve as a role model in this town, but all you do is tarnish the family's reputation by having illegitimate children and getting pregnant at such a young age!" "Papa, you've misunderstood. I don't have a child. That child is Henry Jian's--" "Yes, that child is yours and Henry Jian's. How could you engage with the descendants of our rival family like th
"No! I can't leave now! Do you see what you've done to my mother?" Regina struggled to free herself from the strong grasp of this handsome, muscular man. Henry shouted in anger, "You still consider that woman as your mother after what she did to you? Miss Regina, I truly don't understand you, accepting such inhumane treatment without a fuss." "Exactly, Mom, neither of them deserve to be considered family," Kevin chimed in, criticizing the Tan family. His innocent eyes showed concern as he looked at Regina. "You both know nothing! Let go, I have to make sure my mommy is alright!" Regina rebelled, trying to break free. Instead, Henry tightened his grip on Regina's hand. He glanced at the boy who resembled him. "Kevin, go inside first!" Kevin didn't say much and went inside. Henry pushed Regina into the car and locked the door. He firmly held onto the woman's shoulder as she glared at him with hatred. "Miss Regina, why are you so stubborn? I didn't grab that old lady's hand forceful
Henry and Regina turned towards the boy barging in. "Kevin, you can't just barge in like that!" Henry advised.Kevin stepped forward. "Dad, why didn't you discuss this with me? If I hadn't come down and overheard the servants' conversation, I wouldn't have known about this. Give me that contract, I need to remove the clause about divorce!"Henry withdrew the contract from his hand, holding it high out of reach of the boy standing less than 150 cm tall. "Children shouldn't meddle in these matters. Let the adults handle this.""Just because I'm a child, I don't have the right to voice my opinion? Why are adults always so selfish? What about me when you two split up? You never think about that, do you? It's all the same, I hate you both!" Kevin blurted out his emotions before storming off.Regina stared at his departure without blinking, her mind drifting to a little girl clutching a teddy bear. The child was in tears, screaming, "Mom and dad are selfish! Why can't I decide? Just because
“What? Keep an eye on him until we get there!” Henry snapped, ending the call abruptly.“What’s wrong? Did something happen to the boy?” Regina’s expression remained stoic, but her voice was laced with concern.“He suddenly got off at the side of the road and just stood there. My men asked him to come with them, but he refused,” Henry explained as thoroughly as possible. “He insists we pick him up ourselves. That kid, with his infuriatingly stubborn and selfish nature.”“You’re one to talk. You two are like carbon copies of each other,” Regina jibed.“I’m not selfish and stubborn like that. He must have gotten that from you. Just listen to yourself,” Henry retorted.“He’s obviously your son. He inherited it from you. Besides, his last name is Jian, not Tan.”“Hey, I couldn’t have had a child by myself. You’re the one who gave birth to him!”“Maybe it was another woman. You’re lucky I’m helping you pretend.”They bickered back and forth. The driver up front tried to block out the noise
“No. I don’t want to. Why don’t we start by just calling each other by our names,” Regina firmly refused his unwelcome suggestion.Henry’s gaze sharpened. “We’re supposed to be a loving couple. If we don’t use affectionate terms, who will believe us? Regina, it’s not like you’ve never dated and used endearing terms before, right?”Regina touched her neck, prompting Henry to sneer. “Seriously, you’ve never dated anyone? Has no one ever called you ‘darling’? Am I going to be the first?”“Stop mocking me. I’m not like you, throwing around pet names to every girl you sleep with. Don’t lump me in with them!” Regina snapped, standing up from the sofa, eager to end this. “Are we done here? I’m leaving.”Henry quickly hugged her from behind. Regina stiffened at the unexpected contact. He whispered in a lower, more intimate tone that tickled her sensitive ear. “Then call me ‘husband.’ You’ll be the first to do so.”Henry’s voice was soft and seductive, like a magnet for women. Regina shrugged
Regina and Henry arrived at Civil Affairs Bureau,, greeted by a flurry of questions that caught their ears. The spotlight of cameras and microphones was on them. "Have you come to register your marriage?" "Is it true that you've actually been married since you were young? Why didn't you register your marriage sooner?" "Why are you hiding your relationship?" Regina and Henry didn't have time to think of a good reason to answer. However, there was one question that caught Regina's attention: "Madam, was the dress you wore designed by Madame Jian? Did your mother-in-law make it specially?" Regina was taken aback, unable to stop thinking. Questions swirled in her head. Additionally, she recalled what Madam Jian had said in an interview. Henry responded to the noisy reporters, "Sorry, we will hold a press conference later. Right now, we have to go in and register our marriage." Henry grasped Regina's hand tightly. They broke through the crowd of enthusiastic reporters. "We can finall