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
"There's nothing you can do but wail and cry," said Wilson who had just joined Catherine. The man occasionally frowned as his lips smiled.Deric quickly dragged his body out of the shackles of the wheelchair. When he was at the edge of the pool, he took off his suit and plunged into the pool without a second thought."It's more interesting than any dramas I've ever seen." Wilson beamed. "I can't let this pass me by.""Am I going to witness how true love exists?" said Catherine."There is no true love in this world, Catherine. You watch too many dramas."On the other side, Deric swam towards Caraline using the strength of his arms. The woman's voice was no longer audible, all his ears could catch was the sound of water splashing as it was torn by Caraline's two arms that were flailing around."Caraline," Deric said. He quickly grabbed her waist to keep her head above water.Deric tried to keep himself and Caraline floating in the water. Many pairs of eyes were watching, but not a singl
Caraline blinked as the invasion of sunlight tore into her consciousness. The woman quickly changed her position to a sitting position. She massaged her head gently as she surveyed her surroundings. This room looked familiar to her. "This is my room."Caraline quickly got off the bed and ran to the balcony. Her mouth was half open when she saw the backyard, the garden, and the sparkling light from the mouth of the lake. The sky was already covered in orange as the sun prepared to return to its resting place. "I'm really at home.""Oh my God, what happened?" Caraline grabbed her hair and ran back into the room. She checked her phone and was stunned when the screen showed the time and date. "It's the day after the meeting. What happened to me? How did I end up here?"Caraline's body sagged to the floor. Her hands tugged at the bed sheets with widened eyeballs. Her breathing suddenly increased twice as fast. She straightened up, grabbed her cell phone, and stepped out of the room. She de