The Kiss that Sparked it All

Lucy was as frosty as ever, a veritable ice queen with the emotional range of a robot.

Regina, puzzled, asked, “I’ve never posed with your CEO for any photos, nor have I ever set foot in a marriage bureau for a license. Where did this document come from?”

Lucy adjusted her glasses and replied, “I collected your information last time precisely for this purpose. Some tasks don’t require the CEO’s personal attention.” Content © NôvelDrama.Org 2024.

“Ah… I see. I guess I was making a mountain out of a molehill,” Regina conceded.

With a curt nod, Lucy said, “If you don’t require anything else, I’ll be on my way. There’s a pile of work waiting for me back at the office.”

Regina nodded promptly, “Of course, Lucy. Please go ahead.”

Alone now, Regina carefully scrutinized the marriage certificate. She looked at the names of the two young people scribbled close together while her fingers were tracing the paper tenderly. Was this really their marriage certificate?

Their names were so close in the picture, yet why did she feel their hearts were miles apart?

Regina sighed once more.

All this time, she had been taking advantage of Nolan’s goodwill; she wanted to repay him but had no idea how.

She wasn’t sure how much the Harris family would invest in the Tanner Group after the marriage.

She wanted to have a heart-to-heart with Nolan about all this, to treat it as a loan of sorts. Once she was back in good health and returned to work, she was determined to earn her own way, repaying the Harris family every penny.

But how could she talk to Nolan about these things when she had to weigh every word she said in his presence? What right did she have to bring up such matters?

And she certainly didn’t want to burden him with her family’s troubles anymore.

Two days later, Regina returned to her job. With the investigation into Domingo’s case still unresolved, it was the first time that she felt a sense of weariness with her work as a journalist. After all, the salary wasn’t substantial, and if she truly wanted to pay off her debts, it wouldn’t be nearly enough. So she wasn’t sure if she’s going to still be in this line of work.

Fetching water from the break room, her boss caught sight of her sighing heavily, a novelty that made him stop in his tracks.

“What’s up? Trouble with a new case?” he asked.

Regina glanced at him, then lowered her gaze, It’s nothing. Just personal stuff.”

“Kid, don’t stress too much about work. Sure, I’d love for you guys to bring in more stories, but I’m not heartless. You need to find a balance between work and life,” he advised.

Regina thanked her boss, who walked off with his cup, feeling quite pleased with what he just said. After all, this was Nolan’s girl, and it surely paid to look after her well.

Little did he know that one of his junior employees had a marriage certificate with the illustrious Mr. Harris!

When the truth came out, it knocked him for a loop.

Regina forced herself to focus on the paperwork, but as the end of the day neared, she suddenly received a text from Nolan. His message was icy as usual, which instructed her to get ready and come home to meet the family elders.

Her anxiety spiked.

Wasn’t this like walking into the lion’s den? It wasn’t that she disliked the elders in Harris family, but what identity should she assume when meeting them?

The Harris family was doing well before the Tanners turned it upside-down. Regina had been all screwed since her father forced her to marry Nolan.

Without a shred of affection between her and Nolan, should she meet them as a daughter-in-law or as a culprit?

Regina was in a quandary, but she complied with Nolan’s request and changed into a more demure, elegant dress.