Deric blinked as the sunlight teased his consciousness. The man massaged his head slowly, changing his position to sitting. Once his vision normalized, he cast his eyes around the room. This place seemed unfamiliar to him.Deric exited the room with his wheelchair. The first sight that greeted him was a small lake and a large courtyard with neatly arranged trees. As soon as he turned his head to the side, a magnificent building stood proudly. Deric pushed the wheelchair forward. His gaze was still faithfully scanning the surroundings as his body moved around the courtyard. Whether it was a delusion or he was still trapped in dreamland, he felt like he was in a royal garden, and beautiful was the word that could represent the situation he saw at the moment.Satisfied with walking around the yard, Deric moved to the edge of the lake. Two swans were swimming around the area. Not far from them, there were two canoes parked. The sunlight trapped at the mouth of the lake creates crystals o
It was a frustrating day for Caraline. As the car pulled up to the office gates, she saw media members crowding the lobby. The woman entered under heavy guard. She let out a long breath as she exited the elevator. On her way to her office, she was surprised by Helen standing at the door with a worried look on her face."Are you all right, Miss Caraline?" asked Helen as she followed Caraline into the room. "I was so worried because you didn't reply to my messages or pick up my calls.""I hope I'm okay now," Caraline replied as she plopped down on a chair. When she looked at the clock, it was already ten am. "What's on my agenda now, Helen?"Helen squeezed her skirt, turning to Caraline nervously. "Miss Caraline, there's someone who's been waiting for you since earlier."Caraline, who had just opened her laptop, immediately turned her head. "Where is he now?""I'm here." Unexpectedly, Diego appeared from the doorway, flashing a smile as Caraline stared at him with a dumbfounded expressi
The music and the night view of Heaventown made dinner feel special. For a few moments, Caraline and Diego were lost in their meal. When their eyes accidentally met, both of them were busy putting smiles on each other's faces. "Tonight is really special for me," Diego said, signaling the beautiful woman in front of him for a toast."Is it because it's beautiful tonight?" asked Caraline as she clinked Diego's glass.Both of them took a sip of their respective drinks with their eyes on each other."Of course, because I get to spend time alone with women ...." Diego paused his speech."Woman?" Caraline placed the glass back on the table. Her eyebrows knitted together."A strong woman like you," Diego replied.Caraline laughed softly as she adjusted her hair. "I can't even pull two suitcases at once."Diego shared the same laugh. His rows of white teeth were visible even though the man had covered his mouth with his right hand. "Of course, it's tough in other ways. I have a secret.""Sec
Caraline was shocked when she realized that the clothes on Deric's body were the ones he had been wearing since yesterday. The woman even blinked several times in disbelief at what had just happened. "What on earth did you have in mind? Are you human!""This house is so big that I had a hard time finding some clothes, especially with my poor condition," Deric said honestly, "Besides, the leaves in this area are not suitable for clothing."Caraline chuckled. This paralyzed man was being sarcastic. "Then why are you—""That's why I want to go back home to get some clothes and get my wallet and cell phone," Deric interrupted.Caraline laughed. "I'm pretty sure the numbers in your bank account would make my jaw drop. You’re a rich man.""You're being too complimentary. My work as a freelancer is certainly not as prestigious as that of a CEO," Deric retorted."Of course." Caraline was bemused."But at least with the money I earned, I was able to buy a few pieces of clothes and some delicio
After almost two hours of traveling, the car finally pulled up in front of the Aberald residence courtyard. As Deric was about to prepare to get off, the car door suddenly opened from the outside."Let me help you, Mr. Jacob," Helen said, widening the gap in the door. Her face was sunk in nervousness, while her gaze was fixed on the grass."I can do it myself." Deric refused subtly.Helen took a few steps back. She wanted to help, but her body froze. Instead, she could only observe Deric."You can call me, Deric," Deric said once he was back in the wheelchair." Mr. Deric.""Just Deric without any other frills."Helen looked up at the sight of Deric smiling. It made her back away slowly. "Ah, I'm sorry. I haven't—""Be careful," Deric said when he saw that Helen was about to fall because she kept retreating without looking behind her. His right hand quickly pulled Helen's arm."Oh my God, what happened?" Helen tried to straighten up. Unconsciously, she grasped Deric's hand so firmly.
"I'm sorry," Helen said, "I don't think I can be of any help with the matter you've raised. As you know, I'm just an ordinary employee."The smile carved on Jeremy's face slowly faded. His hands clenched into fists on his thighs. The eyes that painted hope suddenly vanished. " Can you work it out for us?"Helen turned her head toward the doorway, then let out a long breath. She thought for a moment, then said, "But I think I can arrange for you to meet with Miss Caraline in person. I hope that will help."Jeremy and Jonathan smiled instantly. The two exchanged glances, sharing their happiness."That was more than helpful. We were helped," Jeremy responded, "so when can we discuss this with Miss Caraline?"Helen pulled her cell phone out of her blazer pocket and started scrolling through the screen. While she was busy finding an empty schedule, her eyes accidentally caught the figure of Deric, who was pushing a wheelchair into the courtyard."Mr. Jacob." Helen stood up suddenly and rus
Caraline let out a long breath as she leaned back against the chair. Checking several reports at once was draining her energy. She had to set a high level of concentration to understand the data presentation.Shaking off the fatigue and boredom, Caraline began to search the internet. She typed her name into the search bar, and soon there were a lot of article titles from various sources. She reads the headlines one by one and then examines the content thoroughly."Those journalists should go back to school," Caraline grumbled when comparing the content of the story with the headline. Despite Diego's clarification to the journalists in the lobby of the building yesterday, the reality was that the media's assumptions and personal opinions have been added to make the story more palatable to readers.Caraline realized that not all the blame should be placed on the news writers. There was also a share of media leaders who impose their ideas and ideologies on them. Inevitably, the need for
The hubbub inside the outlet grew when the patrons heard James' confession. Like raging waves, insulting words and stares continued to be directed at Deric. Even so, he still put on a calm face."Scram!" shooted the woman in the short white dress, "You're not only an ignorant beggar, but you're also a liar! This outlet needs to improve its quality in many ways for letting a beggar like you pollute the place."James just chuckled as he watched the bullying escalate. He was glad that Deric had been rewarded for his arrogant behavior at home. How could a handicapped man threaten him and be so insolent at the same time?"Whoever brought this crippled man must be smart," James said heatedly, "by bringing this sick man to a fancy place, he must think people will feel sorry for him and give him a lot of money.""That sounds reasonable," responded one of the male visitors."I'd rather throw my money into a piggy bank than give it to this handicapped man," said a young woman."I didn't think b