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 with my enemy!" Regina kept the image of a graceful woman in her mind. Even though she shouted the truth, would anyone believe her? As she struggled to keep from exploding, her rivals only added fuel to the fire, making Regina feel more intimidated.
Henry suddenly found himself in front of the distressed woman. "Looking at this child, he also resembles Miss Tan. I never thought you would trap me, taking advantage of me to have a child," Henry sneered, his gaze full of mockery.
"Who's the idiot who did such a stupid thing? Just looking at your face makes me sick. Even if you were the only man on earth, I wouldn't choose you!" Regina stared at him with hatred. "You better take care of your child. Don't take it out on him."
Regina pushed the child away from her and moved closer to Henry. She immediately stepped away.
Henry's fingers gripped the woman's arm tightly. "Trying to run away after causing a scene? You have to come with me!" Young Master Jian pulled Regina's hand and also instructed his assistant to take the child who claimed to be his son.
"Henry Miller Jian! Let me go! This has nothing to do with me. I don't even know where this child came from. Can't you investigate whether I ever slept with you or not?" Regina struggled to free herself from his grasp. His grip was so tight it felt like her arm would break any moment.
Henry said nothing, which infuriated Regina even more. The three of them sat in the back seat of the car. Kevin could feel the tense atmosphere. Suddenly, he reached out and held both of their hands. "Mom and Dad, are you going to leave me again? Why won't you acknowledge me? Did I do something wrong?" The boy started crying loudly.
Henry and Regina turned to the crying child. Henry held his ears with one hand. He glanced at Regina. "Hey, calm this kid down! I don't like noise!"
"You do it, I don't know how. You're the father of this child."
"You're a woman. Don't you have a motherly instinct to take care of a child?"
They argued. Regina felt annoyed; she finally tried to comfort the crying boy. "Quiet! Stop crying!" Regina said loudly, making the little boy cry even more.
Henry frowned. "Is that how you comfort a child? Even an idiot would do better than you."
"My mom always did it like this to me! If you think you're so smart, you do it, but you're even dumber than me," Regina said flatly, without expression.
"You!" Henry growled.
"Master and Miss, no need to quarrel! I'll do it." The assistant couldn't stand it anymore and offered to mediate.
"Do it quickly! If you fail, you'll know the consequences!" Henry threatened emphatically.
***
"He really stopped. Turns out his assistant is more reliable than the Master." Regina sneered again at Young Master Jian.
Henry smirked and retorted. "You're not even better than me, Miss Regina."
The argument between these two—Regina and Henry—was nothing new; they always argued even over trivial matters. His assistant looked at the two of them and then at the child who was eating ice cream with a messy face. "Is this child really the son of Mr. and Miss Young Tan?"
"Nonsense!" Both of them replied in unison.
"But, this child's face is a combination of both of you. Considering the age of the child, did you two ever date in high school?" the assistant asked.
Regina immediately denied without thinking, "Impossible. We were rivals; how could we have dated?"
Regina was even too busy competing with this man. It was impossible for her to be interested in a man whose mere presence irritated her.
Regina suddenly stood up. "Is everything settled? I have to go."
Once again, Henry stopped her, forcing her back into her seat. "Did I say you could leave? Our business is not finished yet!" Henry said firmly.
"What else do you want from me? If you want me to take care of this child, I refuse. You have a reliable assistant to handle the child; you both take care of him." Regina shouted loudly.
"Mom!" The little boy suddenly grabbed the edge of Regina's dress. Regina looked at him for a moment, his eyes brimming with tears.
Henry responded harshly. "Oh, so you want to shirk your responsibilities? The public already knows you're the one who gave birth to this child."
"Bastard! It's all because of your damned mouth accusing me!" For the first time, Regina couldn't hold back her cursing.
"You dare curse at me?" Henry's gaze was sharp.
"Enough!" The assistant of Henry Jian shouted loudly and suggested, "Master and Miss, why don't you live together and get married, then this matter will be settled."
"Married to this woman?" Henry turned to Regina with disdain. "I don't even lack a woman, why should I marry her?"
"Do you think I want to? Who's the cursed woman willing to be with a boring and cruel man like you?" Regina was just as adamant in her refusal.
Henry's assistant sighed. "You don't need to actually get married. There's a contract marriage with a time limit. Young Master Jian, you've had a good image lately, would you be willing to tarnish your reputation by neglecting this child and, Miss Tan, do you know what the public thinks?" The assistant explained the solution he proposed.
Regina and Henry fell silent and then looked at each other. It only took a few seconds before they both turned away again. The assistant sighed. "So, what's your decision?"
"Henry, did you really fire me? Can't you differentiate between personal issues and work?" Reina protested vehemently.Henry gave Reina a cold stare. "This isn't personal, Reina. You violated professionalism by neglecting your duties yesterday. Besides, I want us to end this relationship. I expect you to clear out your belongings from my apartment as well."Reina smiled bitterly. "You just want to discard me when you're bored? Henry, I'll expose your behavior to the media."Henry remained unfazed. "Go ahead!""Fine. You'll regret it," Reina stormed out, slamming the door in frustration.Henry didn't care. He still had plenty to do.***Regina felt irritated seeing the incessant messages coming her way. No matter how many times she blocked him, the man kept bothering her."Regina, have you been waiting long? I'm sorry."Regina turned off her phone and put it in her bag. "What's up? Why do you want to dine out without inviting Kevin?""We've been together for a few days now. I want us t
"You don't need to walk me all the way in," Regina said politely. "No, I can't leave you alone. Besides, I want to meet your child. You might be pushing me away because of your kid, right? If I can get him to like me, you'll accept me too, won't you?" Harlan replied with confidence. Regina looked at him seriously. "Harlan, don't waste your time on me. You deserve someone better. My life is too complicated right now; you might regret it." Harlan smiled gently. "It's okay. I'm ready to face everything. I'd regret it more if I let you go." Regina gazed into his eyes and saw his sincerity. "Alright. If you can love my son, I'll warn him, but you must be genuinely sincere to him." Harlan nodded. *** "Kevin, why are you outside?" Regina asked worriedly as she arrived at the apartment door with Harlan. "Uncle Harlan, take Mom away. Dad is raging inside. I don't want Mom to get hurt," Kevin said seriously, looking at Ha
Regina stood silent for a moment, stunned by Kevin's unexpected request. "Kevin, isn't this... I thought you didn't want me and Henry to separate. Why are you suggesting this?" "Because Dad doesn't care about your feelings anymore. I don't want you to endure his betrayal. If Dad has chosen another woman, why can't you be with someone who makes you happy? I just want to see you happy." Regina hugged Kevin tightly. "Kevin, thank you for thinking about me. I'll try to meet someone else, and I promise he will treat you even better than Henry did." Kevin's small arms hugged her back. "You don't need to worry about me, Mom. As long as you find someone you love, I'm okay with whoever it is." Regina smiled and gently brushed Kevin's hair. "Now, let's get you to bed." Kevin nodded and quickly climbed into bed. Regina lay down beside him. Despite her efforts to sle
Regina clenched her fist as she looked at the photo circulating on the internet. Even though it had been a while, she could still recognize the woman's face. "So, they're back together?"Her phone was swiftly snatched by Rey. "No need to dwell on gossip that distracts you from your work. If you can't concentrate, you might as well not work at all. Luckily, I'm still giving you the chance to work in a leadership position.""I know. I just happened to see the photo." Regina typed something back.Rey placed Regina's phone down. "Should I get rid of that woman? Henry seems happier with her than with you."Regina took a deep breath, trying to calm herself from the onslaught of emotions. "There's no need, Brother. I don't want to meddle in his personal affairs."Rey sneered at her, "Didn't you defy Dad to marry him, and you were so stubborn about refusing to cooperate with me and Dad just because of that man. Has your love faded now?""I don't want to discuss it. Don't you have a client mee
"Regina will be the CEO of the company, replacing me!" Mr. Tan asserted. "Regina, could you say something to our colleagues?"Regina averted her gaze. She tried to calm her feelings and thoughts. However, a loud voice suddenly erupted. "I didn't give you permission!"The man, none other than Henry, immediately stepped onto the stage and grabbed Regina's hand. "Come with me!"Rey quickly restrained Henry's hand. "Just because you're her husband, does that give you the right to dictate what Regina does?"Henry glared at the man. "You're just an outsider, better stay out of this!""Outsider?" Rey smirked bitterly. "I'm her brother. I have every right to defend my sister.""That's enough!" Mr. Tan halted the debate between the two men. "Henry Jian, release your grip on my daughter."Henry chuckled instead. "Now you're calling her your daughter just because she obeys you? Have you forgotten how you mistreated her?""Don't speak out of turn. I could have security drag you out for causing a
"Ma'am, where are you headed?" the real estate agent halted Regina."I'm no longer renting this place!" Regina quickly dashed away.The agent reached for her phone. "Sir, the lady has fled. I've successfully deceived her," a sly smile etched on the woman's lips.***Regina struggled to open her car door, her trembling body making it difficult. Something called out to her from behind. Nervously, Regina turned around."You? What are you doing here?" Regina was surprised to see Henry.Instead of answering, Henry mocked her. "Are you so broke that you're looking at this run-down apartmen? You won't find a decent home."Regina began to realize something. "Are you the one who's been sabotaging my efforts to find a house all this time? If you want revenge, this isn't the way!" Regina felt anger and frustration. "Stop meddling in my affairs!"Henry just smirked. "Do you think you can just walk away from me after what you've done? It's not that easy. I'll never let you go.""What do you really