03

Caraline felt like she was being punished by fate when she found out that the man she's been looking for all this time is a man in a wheelchair. Oh, God, Caraline felt like swapping roles with the vase on the table.

Caraline greedily inhaled oxygen. She seemed unwilling to let the man named Jacob take away her air. Her hands unconsciously squeezed the hem of her skirt. Caraline was completely shocked by this fact.

God, what are you really up to? Caraline thought.

"I know this is very hard for you, Miss," Jeremy said with a smile. He cheered inwardly with satisfaction. This was payback for Caraline's insolent behavior. "We warned you from the start."

"We'll be happy to shoo this scum away for you, Miss," Jonathan said, "or if you wish, we can beat him unconscious."

"I'll be very supportive if you choose the second option." James chimed in. "I will gladly do so."

Caraline was still on the couch. She needed a little extra time to digest this. She wanted to be angry now that all her efforts and sacrifices seemed to have been in vain. However, Caraline realized that her anger would not be able to invoke a miracle so that the man named Jacob could suddenly walk.

Unfortunately, the world is not as good as the fairy godmother.

Just as Jonathan and James got up from the sofa, Caraline changed their seating position. She gave Jonathan and James the code to return to their original places. "Are you the one named—"

Caraline suddenly swallowed back her words. Her body froze again as her beady eyes were on the same axis as the man in the wheelchair. This was both confusing and infuriating. If Caraline was forced to describe it, the man named Jacob was like an angel with broken wings, conveying awe, pity, and cursing at the same time.

Honestly, among the three men Caraline had met earlier in the house, Jacob's good looks were on a whole other level. Jacob had sea-blue eyes, a piercing gaze, a firm jaw, thick arched eyebrows, and pink lips. The cheap clothes the man wore didn't stop anyone from saying he was charming. 

If the women had only seen a picture of Jacob, Caraline was sure they would have been mesmerized and adored. However, when they found out about the man's true condition, Caraline believes that many of them would change their minds about the man and think that he's something to be pitied and cursed at.

"I didn't know that just by looking at me for a few seconds, someone would have trouble controlling their consciousness. Am I that bad?"

Like being splashed with cold water in the middle of the night, Caraline quickly broke free from the shackles of her reverie. She turned to the man with black hair and gave him a haughty look. The words were directed at her.

"Are you Jacob Aberald?" asked Caraline.

"Honestly, I've completely forgotten that name, Miss," said the man in the wheelchair, "just call me Deric."

"How dare you talk to Miss Caraline!" snapped Jeremy in a stifled voice. He wanted to throw the table but on the other hand, but he didn't want to make a mess in front of his guests.

"Push your wheelchair and get out of Miss Caraline's presence immediately!" Jonathan said.

"Should I lend you my shoes so you can run away from here?" James teased.

"Miss Caraline, I truly apologize," Jeremy said as he shifted his ass forward. "As you can see, that man is nothing more than a disgrace to our family. He has nothing to be proud of in his life. He's as good as trash, if not more so."

Seeing Caraline's silence, Jeremy seemed to have an opportunity. He said again, "Miss Caraline if your purpose in coming here is to find someone to be your partner, you can pick the best one here."

Caraline's mind was completely muddled at the moment. To that end, she massaged her head a few times. When she turned to Deric, she saw a smile from the man. Didn't that man just get insulted?

"Miss Caraline, I'm proposing myself," Jeremy said with his chest puffed out. He felt that he was the most suitable person to be with Caraline than anyone else. 

 "I think my job is done here," Deric said as he adjusted his wheelchair to turn around. "I just remembered that I have things to finish."

Just as Deric pushed his wheelchair, Caraline stood up and said, "Wait!"

Deric immediately stopped and turned his body to face Caraline. He waited for her to speak.

Caraline didn't speak right away. She exhaled softly, then tightened her hands into hard lumps. Her inner war wasn't over yet, but she had to decide soon. This was driving her close to madness.

Not getting the response he was waiting for, Deric pushed his wheelchair again.

"Jacob Aberald ...." Caraline shook her head. "I mean Deric, marry me tomorrow."

Caraline touched her heart like it was planted with a bomb. She must look really stupid right now. After getting out of this house, remind Caraline to slap her cheeks after this crazy thing is over. Her voice wasn't very loud just now, but the silence did that perfectly. "I-I am serious."

Deric clearly could not respond normally. His eyes were wide, while his upper and lower lips were crushed together to keep the words from surfacing. What was going on here?

"Miss, I know that after my arrival the atmosphere in this room has become bad. But if I'm being honest, you have a poor sense of humor to break the ice. Your jokes hurt my feelings a little," Deric said.

"What do you mean?" asked Caraline angrily, "you think I'm bragging?"

Deric scanned the surroundings. Not only did his eyes scan the scene, but his wheelchair also moved right and left.

"What are you doing?" Caraline watched Deric's movements. She quickly looked away as the blue bead bewitched her again. Damn it!

"Miss Caraline, please forgive that piece of trash," Jeremy said, "I promise to punish him after this. So can you please withdraw what you said to her? This sounds completely absurd."

"I'm fully aware of what I'm saying and doing right now," Caraline argued. The woman exhaled softly, then shifted her gaze to Deric, more precisely to the wheelchair. "Listen to me. For five years, I've been looking for you everywhere. I put in a lot of effort, money, and thought just to meet you. I even lowered my pride and almost went crazy asking a disabled man like you to be my husband. So, shut up and do what I say."

Deric pulled the corners of his lips upwards. When he turned to his three brothers, he received an unusual look of hatred. "Very well, Miss. But I'll do it if you'll accept the conditions I put forward."