Helen was pacing back and forth in her office. The bespectacled woman occasionally glanced at her watch and cell phone screen. It was almost eleven am, but there was no sign that Caraline was coming."Did something happen to her?" Helen opened the window to the room, drawing in oxygen greedily. She hoped the fresh air would relieve some of the tension.Helen contacted Caraline for the umpteenth time. Neither her calls nor her texts were responded to. This was highly unusual. If anything had happened, Caraline would have contacted her immediately.Helen was not deterred. She tried calling Caraline's home phone number. However, the call was not connected at all. "I have a feeling that something is going on with Miss Caraline."Helen decided to sit down in her work chair, taking a sip of hot tea to calm her nerves a little. Her fingers drummed on the table, debating whether to go to Caraline's residence immediately or stay in the office for a while longer."I'll wait about ten minutes,"
Caraline blinked slowly. When she opened her eyes, the woman felt her head grow dizzy. Her vision seemed to blur as she scanned her surroundings. She changed to a sitting position as she massaged her forehead. "What is happening to me?" "Miss Caraline," called three maids in unison. Their gazes held obvious concern.Caraline scanned the room again. In addition to the maids standing at the bedside, she also saw a woman in a white coat coming out of the room."What's happening to me?" repeated Caraline as one by one her consciousness came back together. Her hand began to descend to her brow and cheek and then stopped at her lips. The footage of the kiss suddenly returned.Caraline stiffened. Her eyes opened wide like they were going to jump out. She hoped that the kiss was just a bad dream. However, when she realized that the clothes she was wearing were the same ones she had worn when she met Deric, she immediately dropped back down."Miss Caraline!" the maids chanted as they approach
Caraline quickly picked up Deric's gift which she luckily found behind the trash can. She got up with her hands behind her back, then moved slowly towards the dressing table."Do you still need some time?" asked Helen, who thought Caraline was acting a little strange."One more minute," Caraline said, giving the code with one finger. "Give me one more minute, Helen.""I understand." Helen quickly left the room.Caraline quickly hid the gift under the pillow. "You put me in a difficult situation. What an annoying man!"Caraline sat on the couch, being as calm as possible, "Come in, Helen."Helen re-entered the room, taking her place in front of Caraline. "How are you at the moment, Miss?""I'm... fine," Caraline replied in a flat tone."I was really worried when I heard you fainted.""I... fainted?" Caraline pointed at herself. The shock was painted on her features. She had not expected this to happen to her at all. However, upon further thought, it seemed to be a reasonable answer as
"What do you mean, Grace?" asked Caraline with a sharp look. "How could Deric have made ....?"Caraline closed her eyes as she massaged her temples. She had no intention of finishing her sentence after hearing the truth. Caraline never thought that Deric would give her another surprise."Miss Caraline," Grace said, her eyes flickering over Caraline. The woman tried to shake off the fear. "According to the maids, Mr. Deric rushed to the garden to pick strawberries after hearing that you were unconscious. Shortly after, he gave the juice to me and told me to give it to you when you regain consciousness.""Go on." Caraline got up from the sofa, walking towards the window that separated the room from the balcony. Her eyes narrowed to search for Deric's whereabouts. The delicious flavor of the juice was still lingering in her mouth. "How can he make such delicious juice?""Do you have ear trouble, Grace?" asked Caraline when she saw that the maid was still in place. "I just asked you to le
Caraline woke up when the sky was already adorned with purple. She felt more refreshed after resting. Her head was also not as dizzy as before. She got out of bed, walking towards the balcony. "How refreshing."Caraline spent a few minutes on the balcony. She scanned around the backyard and garden pulling out a chair to sit on. Her gaze shifted to the building where Deric lived. "Don't ever expect me to drink that bottled juice again."Caraline turned her head when her cell phone vibrated. Diego's name appeared on the screen. She let it ring twice until she finally picked it up."How are you doing?" Diego asked on the other end."Do I have to answer your question?" Caraline responded flatly."Can we meet somewhere?" Diego cleared his throat. "There are some things I need to explain to you. It's... about... you know what I mean."Caraline rolled her eyes. "I need to rest for the next few days. You can meet me at the office if you're not busy.""Are you sick?" Diego asked in a panicked
Caraline closed the door as soon as she entered the room. She hurriedly ran to the room where the bag was kept. She quickly retrieved it from the closet, carrying it to the bed. Caraline rushed to check the contents of the bag as soon as she sat down on the bed. Not just once, but five times. The bandana bearing the name "Jacob Aberald" was still in place. "I can't imagine what it would be like if Deric recognized it. Deric would be very suspicious and would think all sorts of things about me."Caraline lay down on the bed, scrutinizing the black bandana closely. Her cheeks suddenly painted a red hue as she recalled the picture of Deric in his basketball uniform, especially when she saw how he was able to get the ball into the hoop.Caraline reached for her phone and opened the gallery. She swiped through the screens several times until she stopped at a video file. With trembling hands, she started pressing the play button. In an instant, footage of Deric playing basketball filled th
Caraline slept well last night. She also woke up in good shape. She had been smiling since morning until she was at the dining table for breakfast. The woman ate with great relish.Caraline took a sip of her drink, looking at the bottle of juice on the table. After getting the two bottles of juice Deric had sent her, she didn't drink them right away, but instead, put them in the fridge to enjoy later.Caraline poured the juice into the glass, lifting the object as she observed it. "I... just appreciate Deric's gift. That's all. It doesn't mean I like this drink."Caraline sipped the juice slowly, savoring the deliciousness second by second. It still tasted the same as yesterday and she liked it. The woman poured some of the juice into the glass, drinking it slowly as if she was enjoying a luxurious and classy drink.Caraline let out a long breath when she realized that the juice bottle was already empty. She sighed in disappointment when she realized there was only one drink left. Sho
After Helen's departure, Caraline opened Diego's box again and took out four bottles from inside. She moved over to the drink warmer, picked up a bottle of chocolate milk Deric had given her, and placed it next to Diego's things.Caraline let out a long breath as her body landed back on the couch. She scanned the bottles on the table one by one. Not just once, but several times. In just one look, anyone, even a child, could tell that Diego’s gift drink were high-priced, brand-name drinks, compared to Deric's ordinary-looking bottles."I didn't know giving a woman a drink was such a trend these days," Caraline said as she began to put away Deric's bottle. She smiled with satisfaction as she did so.Caraline opened one of Diego's bottles and took a sip. As expected, the chocolate milk was delicious and just right. Price never lies about quality.Caraline moved on to the bottle of strawberry milk. She drank half of it. The quality was not much different from the first drink. She had to a
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