Deric did not immediately respond to Caraline's words. He remained silent for a while before finally saying, "I think that's a good idea."Caraline instantly looked up, studied Deric for a moment, then turned her head toward the lake. "Do you think that's a really good idea?" "Would you mind attending?" Deric moved closer to Caraline. "I can hear the dislike in the way you speak."Caraline adjusted her hair a few times, walking towards the edge of the lake. "What do I have to fear from a family gathering?" "I never said that you were scared."Caraline closed her eyes, letting out a long breath. "You must have heard wrong.""My ears are still functioning properly. It doesn't matter if you're scared. I'm not going to laugh at something that happens to everyone."Caraline instantly twisted her body. "You should look in the mirror first if you want to laugh at me!""Alright," Deric said as he pushed the wheelchair to the edge of the lake. He stopped right beside Caraline. The man obser
Caraline landed on a chair under the tree. Her mood had suddenly gone haywire after receiving a follow-up message from her cousin about the Wattson family meeting. Because of this, she couldn't concentrate on her work at all."That woman pisses me off!" Caraline punched the space on the chair.Caraline let out a long breath, massaging her forehead slowly. Her face looked up to the orange sky. Amid her mounting frustration, time was ticking towards tomorrow. If only she had the power to control time, she would have completely erased tomorrow from the Earth. However, she was simply not ready. "Are you scared?" asked Deric, camera in hand. When he managed to capture two swans mingling, he immediately took a look at his shot.At the sudden sound, Caraline's reverie was instantly broken. She turned her head while holding her heart in shock. She hit the space on the side again when she found Deric not far from where she was sitting."What did you just do?" screeched Caraline, sending two s
At nine in the morning, Caraline was getting ready in a navy blue knee-length dress. Her hair was left down with the ends made slightly wavy. As she descended the stairs, she took a few deep breaths as she closed her eyes.Caraline did not sleep well at all last night. Every few hours, she would wake up sweating. Afterward, she would daydream in bed until sleepiness returned."You lazy bastard!" cursed Caraline when she realized that Deric was not yet at the edge of the lake.Caraline shook her hair when her cell phone rang. Her lips immediately brought a smile when Diego sent a message.[How are you today?]Caraline rolled her eyes. She shook her head a few times because she felt Diego was terrible at opening up a conversation. Nevertheless, she replied to his message.[Am I reading a message from a man who is reportedly very good at attracting women? You found the right topic.]Caraline glanced around. The cool morning air relaxed her mind. When her cell phone rang again and display
An hour later, the car Deric and Caraline were traveling in pulled up to a villa on the beach. The place directly overlooked the blue sea. From where they were, the waves could be heard quite clearly." I'll learn a lot of things after returning from this place," Deric said while observing the scenery outside from the car window.Caraline let out a long breath, closing her eyes for a few moments. Her hands were clasped in front of her chest, trying to stabilize her heartbeat. "Listen to me." Deric instantly turned his head, and at the same time, Caraline buried her face into his interlocking fingers."I hate to say it, but you must cooperate with me in this event. I will push your wheelchair when we both enter the meeting room. Do not speak until I permit you. And whatever words you hear from the people in the room about you, you must not respond to them with your nonsense. Do you understand?""You look scared.""Do you understand?" repeated Caraline in a raised tone."Alrigh
Caraline closed her eyes for a few moments as she smoothed her hair. She didn't answer Deric's question at all, nor did she turn her gaze towards him. She took a few short breaths to get rid of her nerves. Honestly, she was bothered by Deric's current appearance. He had also noticed several women turning their heads toward him.On the other hand, this room had a very strong intimidating aura to Caraline. Although the place was beautifully decorated, she didn't feel any comfort or tranquility at all. The atmosphere of this room was pressing down on her from every direction."Calm down, you'll be fine," Deric said."Keep those words to yourself," Caraline snapped. Catherine and Wilson were already on stage. The room was suddenly silent and attention was immediately drawn to the two. "Some of you may have heard that one of our family members just got married," Catherine said with a big smile, "if you haven't, Wilson will let you know."Caraline's hands instantly clenched into fists o
"I'm sorry, sir." Deric began to loosen his grip on Wilson's hand when he saw Caraline running out of the room. He slowly released the shackles on the man's hands. "I seem to have gone too far.""Damn it!" Wilson quickly withdrew his hand, checking his condition. His eyes bulged as soon as he saw the red mark. "You can't run away from me."Deric laughed. "Of course, I can't run. Is this wheelchair too small for you?"On the other hand, Catherine was hypnotized by Deric's voice and gestures. She was silent for a while with her gaze not leaving the man. Once she realized that her actions were wrong, she quickly pinched her thigh."Consider it my greeting," Deric said as he pressed the forward button on the wheelchair. The spherical object's glide grazed the floor of the room and the stares of the people. With a calm expression, he exited the room to catch up with Caraline. "You picked the wrong enemy!" screeched Wilson. The man winced as the pain spread across his hand. "I will avenge
Deric's touch was like an electric shock that quickly traveled through Caraline's body, especially since they were so close and their gazes met at the same spot."Oh my! What the hell is going on?" Caraline needed time to digest what had just happened to her. When her racing heart realized that this closeness was not supposed to happen, she quickly pulled herself up. Unfortunately, she slipped again and nearly collapsed to the floor."Calm down." Deric held Caraline who was only a few centimeters away from feeling the slippery floor.Caraline's breathing suddenly became rapid. Her gaze slowly lowered as she felt unable to look into Deric's eyes. The woman traced her neck, shoulders, and down to Deric's chest which was clad in a white shirt with one top button undone. Her face burned as she realized what she was doing, especially when both her hands were in Deric's grasp. It felt warm but very thrilling."What are you doing to me!" screamed Caraline as she picked herself back up. She s
"What's your name, big guy?" asked Catherine with a big smile. She leered at Caraline for a moment."You can call me Deric," Deric replied with a calm expression."It's a good name for where you are right now," Wilson said, accompanied by laughter."I always feel good under any circumstances.""What do you do now?" Catherine turned to everyone present at the event location. She deliberately kept her distance from Deric and did not look him in the eye for more than a second. "What is it about your job that made Caraline fall in love?""That crazy woman needs someone to boost her position," Wilson said. "She may be praised by almost everyone in her town right now, but in front of the Wattson family, she doesn't have the slightest good reputation. She's just a lowly woman who doesn't deserve to have Wattson's blood in her body.""I suspect you are the only child of a successful lord of some city," Catherine continued, "Caraline is good at capitalizing on her beauty.""She had nothing els
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