04

"Tell me," Caraline said as she sat back down. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and her lips were curled in a sardonic smile. Oh come on, she was so giddy and depressed that she had forgotten that anyone would do the same.

"What do you want?" Caraline crossed her legs. She could guess that Deric's requirements were not far from money. After all, this was a good opportunity for the deformed man to reap the benefits. Other than misfortune and humiliation, the man had nothing left, did he?

"Miss Caraline, please don't listen to that disabled man," Jeremy said. "I truly apologize for his impudence. You can—"

"Shut up!" interrupted Caraline, "I don't want to hear anything more from your mouth."

Jeremy's jaw suddenly hardened as soon as he heard it. His offer was completely ignored.

"I have only one condition, Miss," Deric said, "my brother's company is currently on the verge of bankruptcy. It will take at least ten million dollars to stabilize the company."

Right after Deric said so, both Jeremy, Jonathan, and James instantly turned to him. Their faces were hit with a very obvious shock. How could that disabled man know?

"If you will help my brother's company, then I will agree to marry you," Deric continued.

Caraline thought the man named Deric was a little out of his mind. Why would he help his three brothers who hated him? Couldn't Deric think for himself?

On the other hand, Jeremy was very confused about what was happening. On the one hand, he needed the money to save the company and his family's lives. However, letting a flawed man be with a woman as perfect as Caraline, and having to accept Deric's pity, is a blatant violation of his pride, especially since his offer to Caraline didn't even get a response, let alone approval. Is there any punishment more terrible than this?

"I agree," Caraline replied lightly, "is there anything else you want?"

"I think that's more than enough," Deric replied, "with that, I feel like I'm contributing a bit to the Aberald family. Besides, I don't want my three brothers to get frustrated because of this matter. And I wanted to provide a little entertainment even though it's nothing compared to the entertainment James gave some girls with the company's money a while ago."

 James immediately turned pale when he heard it, especially when Jeremy and Jonathan looked at him with probing eyes. James was ticked off. How did the paralyzed man know? Could he be evasive? 

"Alright, all that will be taken care of directly by my assistant. Just give her your account numbers when you meet her in front of the house." Caraline stood up. "I have no more business here. Before I leave, I just want to warn you that I don't want this incident to get out to the media. In other words, you must keep your mouths shut."

Caraline started to take a step but stopped again when she remembered something. "I forgot something. I will prepare all the wedding preparations. You just need to come to the place I mentioned and follow my directions afterward."

After saying so, Caraline immediately walked with wide strides. She briefly glanced at Deric through the corner of her eyes before finally moving away from the room. Once outside, she gulped down oxygen greedily, as if she had just drowned in the deep ocean.

"Are you all right, Miss Caraline?" asked Helen, "You seem tense."

Just as Helen finished speaking, Jeremy, Jonathan, and James appeared from behind the door.

"Helen, transfer ten million dollars to this man immediately," Caraline said, pointing at Jeremy.

"Miss." Helen's voice raised slightly in shock.

"Do it quickly, and get me out of here!" Caraline ordered. As her body landed back on the car seat, she said, "This is my worst day ever. The man I've been looking for has turned out to be a cripple, and tomorrow I have to marry him. I hope Deric gets crushed to death by his wheelchair, or I fall asleep and wake up the day after tomorrow."

To make sure this was real or a dream, Caraline slapped herself on the cheek. "This hurts and it's real. Damn it!"

Afterward, Caraline massaged her throbbing head. Looking to the side, Helen was walking towards her in a hurry, followed by three men from the Aberald family.

"Miss, I've done what you asked," Helen said once her body had settled into the car seat. When she saw the red marks on Caraline's cheeks, she said in a worried tone, "Miss, your cheeks are ...."

"Shut up and take me away from this horrible situation immediately!" Caraline ordered.

Helen gave instructions to the driver. As the vehicle began to move, she leaned back against the seat. Caraline was in a bad mood, and that was a sign that she shouldn't talk too much.

After Caraline's departure, the Aberald siblings immediately swarmed Deric like predators ready to slaughter their quarry.

"What the hell have you done, Scum?" snapped Jonathan as he tugged on Deric's shirt collar, preparing to throw a punch.

"Put your hands down, Jonathan," Jeremy said, "don't disfigure his face like his legs. We'll have to take him tomorrow anyway, just like that woman said."

Afterward, Jeremy massaged his forehead for a while. His eyes squeezed shut as a flash of memory from a few minutes ago replayed in his mind. If circumstances had not forced him to, he would not have prevented Jonathan from taking care of the disabled man.

Jonathan immediately released his grip and lowered his hand. Even so, his gaze still shone with disgust at Deric. The man then threw his body onto a chair not far from where they stood.

"Do you realize what you've done?" asked Jeremy as he looked at Deric angrily.

Deric replied calmly, "I'm just trying to act well. Aren't we acting in a script? I have to admit that the scriptwriter and the woman have good qualities. I almost took this for real."

Deric's answer managed to ignite Jeremy's anger. His face became as red as a crab and his fists became as hard as rocks. The man of record's words made no sense to Jeremy. Didn't he know that he was trying desperately to save the Aberal family's face in front of Caraline?

"Can't you realize your place in this world!" Jeremy screeched.

Deric gave a faint smile. "What's wrong with my answer?"

"You!" Jeremy had completely lost his temper. Mercilessly, he slapped Deric hard on the cheek. The sound of the slap was so loud that Jonathan and James instantly fell silent.

Jeremy seemed to have forgotten what he said to Jonathan earlier.

"You're pathetic," Jeremy said softly. His breathing gradually normalized.

 Deric did not overreact. He simply stroked his throbbing cheek, then wiped the blood from the corner of his lip with the back of his hand.

"Look at this!" Jeremy showed Deric his cell phone screen. "That woman named Caraline sent the ten million dollars you said she would. And you know what that means?"

Just as Deric was about to further confirm the row of numbers displayed on the screen, Jeremy immediately pulled back his cell phone. Deric's body that was leaning forward finally straightened up. His face suddenly sank towards where his two feet were. 

"I don't know what was going through Caraline's mind that she had to spend part of her life looking for you and asking you to marry her. It doesn't make any sense to me. But judging by her earnestness, I know that there's something behind her crazy actions."

Not satisfied with his words, Jeremy said again, "Don't think that because of your decision, you will be considered a hero for saving the company. To me, you are still trash, a disgrace to the Aberald family!"

Jeremy took a deep breath, then said, "Get lost! And prepare yourself for tomorrow!"