"Too bad, we were ordered not to kill you," said the villain who pointed the gun. His words were immediately greeted by the laughter of his colleagues. "But we were allowed to hurt you as much as we wanted."Deric chose to remain silent while reading the situation. His condition was very unfavorable at the moment. He was outnumbered and outgunned, especially with him being in a wheelchair. It was unlikely that he could survive.The villain who pointed the gun spoke again, "I'll make your hands as deformed as your legs.""You are a useless man," said the other villain."More like a pathetic man.""Look at you! A baby is even more valuable than you.""Can you do this?" asked one villain while jumping up and down. The action instantly became the laughingstock of the crowd."Surely no one would want you.""You're such a useless piece of trash. Women would think a thousand times about making you their lover. You'll only be a statue when you play in bed."Deric was silent as the diatribe ra
The ticking of a clock accompanied the silence inside Caraline's hospital room. She had been unconscious for the past five hours. The sky was already tinged with gray, and the sun was ready to return to its resting place. In just a few minutes, the night would come.From the hallway, Helen arrived with Lucy and several bodyguards. Her face looked tense and angry at the same time. The guards were spread all over the hospital. After hearing the news from Caraline about the crime, Helen immediately rushed to the location after contacting the guards.Helen and Lucy entered the room, while the guards stopped outside. The two women looked at Caraline, who still showed no sign of regaining consciousness. There were no fatal injuries to the Mimiline Group CEO. The doctor said that Caraline only suffered severe shock after the incident."Lucy, you can go and rest now," said Helen, who was sitting next to Caraline's bed. She had bumped into Lucy by accident in the hotel lobby. Lucy said that sh
Caraline quickly broke the embrace and took a few steps back with her arms folded across her chest. Her heart was beating rapidly again as she glanced back. Helen and Setvan had seen what had just happened. She had to act as normally as possible."Close the door to this room and don't let anyone hear our conversation," Caraline ordered.Stevan immediately nodded, went out for a moment, and then returned to the room. Meanwhile, Helen just looked down as she witnessed the hug. From the look and how frantic Caraline was, she could tell that the woman loved Deric. "Why did you suddenly call me to come to your room?" Caraline asked with a stern look while staring at Deric. "You're inconveniencing me. You've interrupted my rest.""But I never asked you to come to my room at all," Deric replied, "Didn't you come to this room because you were worried about me?""Don't make this up." Caraline glared at Deric with both hands that had moved to her waist, asking the man to follow the drama she
"Is there something dangerous?" asked Stevan."Get away from me," Caraline pleaded.Stevan immediately asked the guards to move away from Caraline."What exactly happened, Helen?" asked Caraline in a hushed voice."Lucy explained that Mr. Deric asked her about you.""Helen, I need you to keep an eye on Lucy."Helen nodded.Caraline quickly entered the car. When she met Deric's gaze, she deliberately turned her face to the side. Her chest began to burn with jealousy. Her mind was filled with questions about Deric and Lucy's closeness.The car began to drive away from the hospital. Two escort cars drove first, while two other vehicles were behind.It was still nine o'clock in the evening. The streets of Heaventown were as crowded as ever. Twinkling lights as well as the light from the skyscrapers seemed to be trapped in the car windows. For half the journey, there was no conversation between Deric and Caraline."Do you know Lucy?" asked Caraline suddenly. She couldn't contain her curios
Caraline woke up restless. She was having nightmares about yesterday's events. Her body was drenched in sweat and her eyes were foggy. Looking at the nightstand, she saw that it was already eight in the morning.Caraline went to the balcony. She found Deric at the edge of the lake. She was suddenly filled with dread as the horrible images of him returned.Caraline came out of the room half an hour later. Her body temperature was slightly hot with a slight throbbing in her head. When she arrived downstairs, she was immediately mobbed by maids who gave her worried looks."What do you want from me?" Caraline rolled her eyes. She did not like being the center of attention of the maids. "Don't make my weekend worse because of your strange actions.""How is your current condition?" asked Grace as if representing the maids' questions, "We were really worried about you when we heard that something bad happened to you and Mr. Deric. When we were going to visit the hospital, the guards forbade
"WHAT?!" screeched Caraline as her body suddenly stood up. Like a fire doused in gasoline, her temper flared until it consumed her patience. Unbidden, she moved towards the two men and slapped them hard. "Damn it!"Caraline took a few steps back. Her heart and chest were beating rapidly. Her breathing suddenly increased many times. Her jaw and fists hardened like rocks ready to crush a ship. Her heart felt like it had been pierced by a spear, creating a huge gaping hole.The room was suddenly silent after Caraline's screams and actions. No one dared to speak despite the shock that hit the people in the room. This was the first time they had seen Caraline this angry.Caraline felt her hand hurt. However, what her heart felt was more than just pain. She really couldn't believe that Deric was the main target of yesterday's crime, even though the man had done nothing but sit in a wheelchair. Whoever the culprit was, he would never forgive him."Where's the fake driver?" asked Caraline, st
"What do you mean?" Caraline turned her head suddenly."There are various possibilities," Helen explained while finding the most comfortable seating position. "First, the perpetrator may not like Mr. Deric's presence by your side. Second, the perpetrator has a grudge against Mr. Deric. Thirdly, the perpetrator has a grudge against you to the extent that he targeted Mr. Deric, especially when he saw Mr. Deric's condition... which is different from most people."Seeing Caraline's silence, Helen continued, "I don't think the perpetrator is a random person. He must have thought his plan through, as evidenced by the fake driver who managed to sneak into the same car as you and Mr. Deric. In my opinion, it was a fatal mistake by the bodyguards.""You're right, Helen." Caraline let out a long breath, staring at the surface of the lake. The possibilities Helen had raised all sounded plausible. The culprit and the brains behind the incident were certainly not random people, especially since he
Caraline entered the house with wide strides. Her hands were still covering her face. She didn't care if she bumped into the maids or the furniture. Her heart was hurt when Deric lightly acted selfishly.Caraline climbed the stairs in a hurry. The sound of her shoes splashing became the dominating sound in the main room. The few maids who saw her could only stare anxiously but could do nothing."Grace, I don't want to hear or receive anything from Deric," Caraline said as she saw the head maid approaching.“I understand.” Grace nodded.Caraline immediately locked the door, throwing her body onto the bed. The wall of resilience she had been building for so long finally came crashing down with tears in her eyes. Her chest heaved with her shoulders shaking up and down.Caraline changed her position to sitting, hugging her legs and burying her face in her knees. The tears continued to fall unabated. For several minutes, the room was held in silence. The ticking clock on the nightstand see
Jeremy, Jonathan, and James looked tense as they followed a bodyguard to the edge of the park. The crashing of the waves was a musical accompaniment to their racing hearts. The three men suddenly fell silent when they saw Deric with his back to them near the fence. Shortly afterward, the bodyguard chose to excuse himself. For a few seconds, there was only silence between the four men. Jeremy, Jonathan, and James exchanged glances with each other, confused as to what action they should take at this point. Should they say goodbye? Deric slowly turned around, smiling to greet his three half-brothers. He walked over, but Jeremy, Jonathan, and James did not move from their places or even turn their heads towards him. "I've been waiting for your arrival," Deric said. Jeremy, Jonathan, and James had not paid any attention to Deric's words. Their faces had not completely lifted either. "Didn't you miss me a lot, James?" asked Deric, "you even called me and sent me messages almost every da
Six months later The news of the Universe Corporation President's marriage sent the country into a frenzy. Many of the women who dreamed of becoming his wife suddenly felt heartbreak and deep sadness.Rumors circulated like mushrooms in the rainy season about who the lucky woman who would become Jacob Balderic's partner would be. Six months after the Universe Corporation President appeared in public and introduced himself, the man never appeared in front of the media again. However, the news about him continued to fill news lines and television shows.A week after the news of the wedding broke, the media managed to uncover the lucky woman, who was none other than Caraline. Many people agreed with this because they felt that the two were a good match. However, some sneered and bullied Caraline on social media. Even so, the wedding was held in a private location in the city of Summertown.The news of the wedding became the top and hottest topic ever, and even the news of Caraline and D
All eyes were on Deric who had just recognized himself as the presiden of the number one company in the country. The atmosphere of the event was instantly silent, as were the people watching the news on television channels and the internet. Shortly afterward, the adoring admiration was met with thunderous applause."Oh my," said Helen, "isn't that Mr. Deric? How could this be possible? He can walk on both feet and right now he's in front of us."Helen turned to Caraline who was looking down with a smile on her face. When she realized something, Helen quickly controlled herself. She knew the reason behind Caraline's change over the past two weeks."Miss Caraline," Helen called with a bright smile. Despite the crack in her heart, she was happy to see Caraline now.Caraline was silent and didn't dare to raise her head at the moment. The praise and admiration directed at Deric made her even more terrified of losing him.On the other side, Diego and Wilson were watching the show on the scr
A week passed after Caraline met with Deric on the rooftop of the building. However, her happy smile never faded. Helen, Stevan, and the rest of the maids and guards couldn't understand her attitude. While Caraline had been saddened a few months ago, for the past week, she had been overwhelmed with happiness.Caraline visited an event organized by one of Universe Coporation's subsidiaries in a large park. Many famous officials and businessmen attended the event, including Henry Hulbert.Caraline couldn't sit still while watching Henry Hulbert perform on stage. Her eyes were often drawn to the surroundings. There was a good chance that Deric was also at this event, she thought.Caraline hadn't received any messages from Deric all week. She also deliberately did not contact him. If longing had been excruciating in the past, this longing had only intensified the love."Do you need something?" asked Helen, who was sitting next to Caraline's chair."Nothing." Caraline shook her head, turni
Caraline and Deric looked at each other for some time, lost in their feelings. The lights around the rooftop seemed to change color as time passed."I'm just afraid that you'll lose consciousness like last time," Deric said suddenly."What do you mean?" asked Caraline with flushed cheeks."You know, you suddenly passed out when we were about to do... 'it' in your room." Deric laughed, gently stroking Caraline's hair."Passed out?" Caraline raised one eyebrow. "Didn't we ever do that?""Not at all," Deric said, "you seemed to be so nervous that you passed out, especially since you didn't stop smiling during your sleep."Caraline suddenly turned her back on Deric, closing her eyes with a very red face. She was embarrassed when she heard that. So, all this time she had only dreamed about doing 'that' with Deric. "Don't talk to me anymore. I hate you.""I know if your heart says otherwise." Deric stood beside Caraline."No, I'm serious." Caraline turned her gaze to the other side. "You ar
Caraline's whole body shook even more when she saw Deric standing in front of her. She dropped her cell phone because she couldn't contain her shock. For a few moments, she could only hold her breath with an unblinking gaze.Caraline felt shocked on top of the shock. She had wanted Deric to walk again, but when she saw it firsthand, Caraline was left stunned and unable to do anything. Her lips half opened, but quickly closed again.Didn't Deric look perfect with his current appearance?Caraline pinched her left arm hard. She felt a great pain there. It signaled that she was in the real world. However, Caraline still felt lost in dreamland. Deric, who she thought was a man who had lost his dreams, was the mysterious figure that people wanted to know about. Deric was none other than the richest man in the country.Doesn't Deric look perfect in his current position?Caraline looked back as her feet hit the rooftop barrier. She was at the edge of the room and there was no turning back. Fo
"Deric."Caraline could only remain silent with wide-rounded eyes for some time. Her mouth was half open with a look of disbelief. All the images of her time with Deric instantly faded away, making her body almost collapse on the floor. Tears were rolling down her cheeks relentlessly.Caraline knew that she missed Deric more than anything. However, when he was in front of her right now, she could only stand still without being able to get closer or even hug him tightly.Time seemed to stop for Caraline. All the scenery around her suddenly turned black and white, except for Deric alone. At the same time, the world became eerily silent.Could this all be a delusion?Could it be that he was in a dream?Could it be that God had answered all her prayers and hopes?Caraline still couldn't quite believe what was happening. For months she had searched for Deric's whereabouts with everything she had, but nothing good had come of it. However, at this moment, Deric came to him alone on this roof
Two months laterA talent show organized by one of Universe Corporation's subsidiaries received an overwhelming response from the public. The show had the highest ratings for several weeks. It culminated in the finale that aired last night. The participants put on an incredible show of entertainment and performance. The show was even aired in several neighboring countries. The enthusiasm of the public and netizens for the program was so high that the organizers intended to re-organize a similar event with a fresh and new concept.As a token of appreciation for the achievement and success, a lavish banquet was held for all partners who joined the program. Several Universe Corporation officials were present, one of whom was Henry Hulbert.Caraline was still in the room, staring at her reflection in the mirror. She put on the earrings Deric had given her to complete her look tonight. The search for the man had been ongoing until now, but his whereabouts had yet to be discovered."Wherev
One month passed quickly. Caraline reorganized her life. Diego was sentenced to fifteen years in prison for the crimes he had committed. Although it wasn't worth it, it was enough to make her feel relieved. On the other hand, Wilson was also put behind bars. Although the Wattson family tried to get him released, he was sentenced to eight years in prison.Caraline's life gradually returned to the way it was before knowing Deric. She was busy with office work. However, her longing and love for him became even more unstoppable.Caraline has a new habit now. When she missed Deric the most, she would go to his former residence and spend the night there. Caraline would smile at the pictures on the wall and cry shortly after.The search for Deric, Lucy, and Thomas was still ongoing. However, there was no sign that they will be found. Caraline felt that this was her punishment for hurting and wasting Deric's presence all this time. This longing and regret tormented her.On the other hand, Cat