Caraline made sure her plan went perfectly. She went back to enjoying the meal when Deric returned."How long are we going to be in this place?" Deric asked.Caraline rolled her eyes. "Unfortunately, we'll be staying here overnight and returning in the early morning."Deric was silent for a moment. His hand that was just about to pick up the spoon and fork instantly stopped. "That's... a pretty good idea. I suddenly remembered the time when you picked me up in the early morning in your sleeping pajamas barefoot.""Stop it!" Caraline pounded on the table. She remembered everything clearly. "It was embarrassing and I don't want to remember it anymore!""You looked funny back then, but I didn't dare laugh because you must have struggled to get to this place. Honestly, I feel grateful."Caraline tucked her hair behind her ear, turning her head to the other side to hide her heated face. Deric made her fly to the high heavens. "I-I... I... don't want to hear that nonsense from you.""So whe
"Why did you bring me to that place?" asked Deric.The smile on Caraline's lips suddenly faded. The woman snapped in annoyance. Deric was the most insensitive man she had ever met. Compared to all the men who had tried to get close to her over the years, why was she infatuated with Deric?"You're good at ruining things," Caraline snapped."I'm just a little confused." Deric shrugged his shoulders."Shut up!" Caraline clucked, moving behind the wheelchair, and pushing Deric forward. Her current destination was her room. The woman had prepared everything she needed to carry out her mission.Caraline pressed the password. The door automaticcaly opened. The room, which had been dark, became light. It was spacious with a king-sized bed, a large TV, a sofa, a closet, and other amenities.Caraline placed Deric in the center of the room facing the sofa. The woman picked up the guitar and placed it on the man's lap, while she kept the bottle of water on the small table near the chair.Caraline
Caraline waited for Deric to continue. However, after several seconds of waiting, the man did not speak again. "Don't keep me waiting.""Actually... I get lost easily on the road, especially in my current condition." Deric chuckled. "I'll be a long time coming back to your house. Isn't that funny?""No!" Caraline chuckled. Deric was freaking her out. There wasn't a hint of funny in his words. "But, weren't you able to return to the Aberald family's hut after a year away?"Deric was suddenly silent. His fingers moved away from the guitar strings. "Return to the Aberald family after a year away? What do you mean?" Caraline reflexively straightened up. Her eyes rounded as her mouth half opened. She spoke without realizing it. "Forget about it!""Alright.""I need to go to the toilet." Caraline quickly got up, rushing to the restroom. She started walking back and forth while tapping her chin with her finger. "Gosh, what exactly did I just say? How could I have spoken without thinking fir
The music stopped as Deric's fingers began to move away from the guitar strings. However, the pounding in Caraline's heart grew louder. For a few moments, the room was held in silence."You have a great voice," Deric complimented, "thank you for singing with me and warming up the atmosphere tonight."Caraline rolled her eyes. "I don't want to hear compliments from a man like you. I don't want your ugly voice to keep hurting my eardrums. So, I thought it wouldn't hurt if I sang."Deric chuckled. "I think this room is a bit too hot. I'm getting sweaty from it."Caraline raised the corner of her lips. "Too bad, I don't feel the same way you do.""Can I step outside for a moment to wash my face and hair?" asked Deric."I'm... not a bad person. So, I'll give you two minutes." Caraline glanced at the clock on the phone, turning to Deric with the corners of her lips raised."Alright." Deric hurriedly left the room, entering his empty room, and washing his face and hair in the toilet.After D
"What exactly are those people doing?" asked Caraline with an exasperated look. She turned to Deric, then said, "Don't come out until I tell you to. Do you understand?""I don't mind," replied Deric.Caraline rushed out, slamming the door rather loudly, walking hurriedly toward the group of maids and guards in the courtyard. "What are you all doing right now? Didn't I ask you to stay away from the house?""Miss Caraline," the maids said with a relieved look. Their eyes compactly began to scrutinize Caraline's appearance from top to bottom. They stared at each other for some time when they saw that Caraline was only wearing thin sleeping pajamas topped with a long men's shirt."We were so worried about you," Grace said, "as soon as the earthquake hit, we rushed to your room. However, we didn't find you anywhere, including Mr. Deric's whereabouts.""I'm here," said Deric who appeared from the open windshield of the car.The maids were shocked to realize that Deric was in the same vehicl
The long night gave way to the cold morning air. Birds were seen flying around a house yard. Butterflies were seen circling the small flower garden in the yard.At the Aberald residence, Jeremy and Jonathan were having breakfast at the dining table."James, what are you doing?" Jeremy asked half yelling."Don't be lazy, or I'll drag you out of your ugly room!" snapped Jonathan, "come on out!""Wait a minute," James replied from inside the room. He was adjusting his tie in front of the mirror. His face was still covered in sleepiness. For the past few weeks, the man had been facing a boring office routine. He missed playing games on his phone and partying with girls."James!" shouted Jeremy."Yes, I'm coming." James hurriedly sprayed perfume, grabbed his briefcase, and rushed out of the room. "My two brothers have been annoying lately. I'm forced to work around the clock. Even on weekends, I have to deal with office workers. Damn it!"Jeremy shook his head when he saw James just coming
Caraline repeatedly checked her appearance in the mirror. Her face looked bright and shiny. Her breathing was light as her chest and shoulders seemed to lose weight. She had never felt this happy before. However, every time she closed her eyes, flashes of last night's events instantly filled her mind."Oh my!" Caraline pounded on the dressing table. Not out of emotion, but out of an unstoppable feeling of happiness. Her face was red and hot at the same time.Caraline let out a long breath, glancing at the bed. She hurriedly covered her face as last night's struggle came back to her. She quickly moved towards the bed when she saw Deric's shirt still draped over the bed. "This is embarrassing!"Caraline picked up Deric's shirt, inhaling its scent. Her whole body suddenly shook violently. The vibrations instantly reminded her of the man's touch on her body. "Oh my! What the hell is going on?"Caraline hurriedly put Deric's shirt away in the drawer, moving closer to the vanity mirror. She
The rain poured down heavily shortly after the car carrying Caraline left the cemetery. Drops of water were trapped in the windows of the vehicle. Caraline took a deep breath, smiling as she looked at the photos of her family on her phone screen. Losing three precious people was never easy, and she knew how painful it was."I promise I'll keep moving forward no matter how hard it gets," Caraline said, "I have Deric to look after and be happy for."Caraline leaned back in the chair, looking out the window. Her finger wrote her name, followed by a heart underneath, then ending with Deric's name. The woman chuckled when she realized her actions were very childish. Her hand moved to erase the writing. However, she abandoned the idea and grabbed her phone to take a picture.Caraline looked at the capture. "This is a good picture."The car stopped at a red light. Caraline looked at the photo again. As she was about to turn off the phone, she accidentally swiped the screen. Various pictures