"Are you leaving?" asked Deric, who was suddenly behind Caraline.Caraline suddenly stopped. She immediately closed her eyes to control her rapid breathing. With a glance, she saw that Deric was putting on his clothes. Unfortunately, she witnessed it until the man's broad chest was covered by the T-shirt. "I-I'm not going to answer stupid questions.""Thanks for the answer." Deric chuckled."Don't freak me out!" snapped Caraline"Are my smile and my voice creepy?" Deric smiled even though he knew Caraline wouldn't see it, as she had her back to him. "You often say that I scare you. Aside from my smile and laughing voice, what else about me scares you?""Everything about you is scary to me, even your life," Caraline replied."Are you sick?" Deric brought the wheelchair up to Caraline's level. "Your body is tense like a robot. Is it because of my laughing voice?""Did you just call me crazy?" Despite her annoyance, Caraline did not want to turn around. "Don't talk to me anymore!""I had
Caraline hurriedly covered her diary and photo album with the seat cushion. She shook her hair a few times to shake off the shock."You look like you've just seen a ghost." Diego chuckled."Can you give me a minute? I have something to prepare first," Caraline said."Okay." Diego nodded, leaving the room.When the door was closed, Caraline quickly picked up the books and put them in the bag on the table. She took a deep breath, then said, "You can come in.""What happened?" Diego walked into the room, taking his place on the couch. "Is something bothering you?""Of course there is." Caraline joined on the couch, facing Diego."What?" Diego leaned forward."You," Caraline said simply."Wow, that's a harsh word, but I like it." Diego laughed."Spicy flavors are necessary for a dish." Caraline glanced at her bag on the table. "I bet you didn't come alone.""You're right. As usual, the media kept following me around. After all, they make money from it, right?" "Can I help you, Mr. Diego?
Caraline decided to leave early. Thankfully, Helen was able to outwit the media so she left the office without a hitch. Diego had gone home after lunch had ended and thankfully he hadn't said anything strange to the media.Caraline let out a long breath as the car pulled into the driveway. She massaged her head gently, walking towards the house. Unintentionally, her eyes caught sight of Deric driving along the lakeside in the direction of his usual workout. What caught her attention, even more, was that Deric was contacting someone."That's none of my business. Why would I know Deric's business anyway?" Caraline rolled her eyes, but her body remained in place until Deric disappeared."Well, it's because I was curious and wanted to tell him about my activities tomorrow." Caraline decided to follow Deric. She walked with wide strides. However, she did not find him at his usual workout spot."Where did Deric go?" asked Caraline as she scanned the surroundings. The woman moved closer to t
God, why am I so stupid?" Caraline thought to herself.Caraline froze as she had just been doused in ice water. Her eyes glared with her mouth open. She felt like burying herself or throwing herself into the lake. How could she act so stupidly, especially in front of Deric?Caraline let out a long breath. Her gaze instantly scanned the surroundings. When she realized she had circled almost the entire lake by running, the woman massaged her forehead several times.Caraline wanted to scream until her throat was hoarse, or rage until the trees around her fell. However, she realized she didn't have the strength to do that. Just getting rid of Deric was starting to feel overwhelming. What should she do now?"Is your phone acting up?" Deric asked when he saw Caraline's silence and reverie. "I can try to fix it if you want."Instead of answering, Caraline chose to leave Deric. The woman walked slowly while still massaging her forehead. For now, she just wanted to rest and forget that she had
"Did you have dinner?" asked Deric as he turned the wheelchair slightly to face Caraline.Caraline's hands slowly lowered. Deric's smile made her whole body tense again. However, when she realized it was a mistake, her hands returned to their original place. "Don't change the subject!""I don't think it's good to talk under these circumstances. How about you come down so we can talk?""Don't ever order me around! Who do you think you are in this house? Stop fantasizing!""Alright, then I'll come to your room," Deric said, "how about it?""I'll kick you if you take one step closer to my room!""If I'm dead, I'll happily bang you all the time." Deric laughed.Even though you're still alive in your damn wheelchair, you're already running around in my thoughts and feelings, Caraline thought."Alright, good night." Deric turned the wheelchair around, driving towards the edge of the lake."Hey, what are you doing?" asked Caraline as she moved to the side of the balcony.Deric stopped the wh
Caraline woke up to the sound of the alarm. She scrambled out of bed, looking at the clock on the table. Seven o'clock in the morning. Light from outside the room seemed to be trapped in a gap in the curtains.Half an hour later, Caraline was at the dining table. She ate a quiet breakfast. She saw a maid walking towards the kitchen, disappearing when she passed the wall. "Be quiet, Caraline. Don't be foolish enough to follow her."Caraline focused on her meal. When she finished breakfast, the woman quickly made her way to the backyard. She bumped into Helen who had just come from the front."You're early, Helen," Caraline said."I slept very well last night," Helen replied.The two women walked toward the edge of the lake to await Deric's presence.Caraline looked back at Helen. "But, it looks like you stayed up late last night. I can see the bags under your eyes even though you tried to cover them with makeup. Can't wait for this day to come? Your appearance has also changed a bit."
Caraline hurried to the elevator after taking a quick look at Diego's appearance. She massaged her head gently at the man's actions, which she thought were unnecessary. The tall man followed her into the elevator with a smile on his face. The narrow space was now only occupied by the two of them."What do you say we take a vacation around the coast?" Diego asked, "I have a great place to go.""I'm just afraid that our tastes and judgments differ," Caraline replied without turning around, "what's good for you doesn't mean it's good for me, right?""Then what places do you like?" Diego turned to Caraline."Should I answer your question?" Caraline tucked her hair behind her ear, glancing at Diego. "I thought you were going to surprise me.""Okay." Diego straightened his suit jacket for a moment. "Don't blame me if you're surprised when you see it.""That happens if I want to go with you." Caraline smiled slightly, exiting the elevator as soon as the doors opened.Diego nodded briefly wit
"You'd better take that back," Caraline said, "Deric is... a vicious dog to new people it meets. You're bound to get into trouble." "Come on, Caraline," Diego coaxed, "isn't it... just a dog? We just need to bring it to its knees so Deric understands who's in charge of it.""Yes, Deric is a dog." Caraline smiled. It felt very satisfying to say that. "Let's not talk about that annoying barking animal."Diego leaned back in the chair. "But you seem to enjoy talking about your dog. I could see you smiling when you said it.""Really?" Caraline raised one eyebrow, tucking her hair into her ear. She picked up some of the dishes on the table. "You have a good imagination."Caraline took another sip from her glass. She was surprised to see a few people glancing into her and Diego's room with occasional whispers. Although she was in a different room and they could not see her at the moment, she could see the situation outside clearly. "Don't mind those ignorant people," Diego said."What do