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
All the visitors who had bullied Deric eventually looked down in shame. Even so, their minds were busy with various questions about the man in the wheelchair. Was his relationship with Helen just an acquaintance? How could Caraline's assistant know this man?"This outlet needs to improve its quality in many ways," says Deric.The woman in the short white dress instantly looked down in fear. Deric repeated what the woman said a few minutes ago."Really?" asked Helen.The manager and the rest of the staff were drowning in fear. They knew how their careers would end if the head office found out about this. Mimiline Group was a company that was very strict on discipline and service quality. Disappointing a customer was a serious case that could result in dismissal.In this case, it was clear that all employees were in the wrong. Consciously, they had bullied a customer with special needs, especially since the victim was close to the assistant owner of the company where they worked. This w
Caraline looked up when her phone rang. Her tired face brightened when she realized that Diego had sent her another message. However, the news came from someone she hated, her cousin.[Come with your husband to the Wattson family gathering on weekends. The rest of your family and I would like to get to know your husband as a new family member. I'll send you the details of the event later.]Caraline reflexively threw her phone as soon as she finished reading the message. She made a scowl on her face with her arms crossed over her chest. This was really bad news. The long-haired woman couldn't imagine what would happen during the meeting, especially if they knew Deric's condition.Caraline rushed to the lakeside as soon as the car pulled up to the residence. She sat on a wooden chair under a tree. The woman vented her frustration by throwing rocks into the water, hoping that it would make her feel better."What should I do?"Caraline massaged her head, which suddenly felt heavy. Her fac
Deric did not immediately respond to Caraline's words. He remained silent for a while before finally saying, "I think that's a good idea."Caraline instantly looked up, studied Deric for a moment, then turned her head toward the lake. "Do you think that's a really good idea?" "Would you mind attending?" Deric moved closer to Caraline. "I can hear the dislike in the way you speak."Caraline adjusted her hair a few times, walking towards the edge of the lake. "What do I have to fear from a family gathering?" "I never said that you were scared."Caraline closed her eyes, letting out a long breath. "You must have heard wrong.""My ears are still functioning properly. It doesn't matter if you're scared. I'm not going to laugh at something that happens to everyone."Caraline instantly twisted her body. "You should look in the mirror first if you want to laugh at me!""Alright," Deric said as he pushed the wheelchair to the edge of the lake. He stopped right beside Caraline. The man obser
Caraline landed on a chair under the tree. Her mood had suddenly gone haywire after receiving a follow-up message from her cousin about the Wattson family meeting. Because of this, she couldn't concentrate on her work at all."That woman pisses me off!" Caraline punched the space on the chair.Caraline let out a long breath, massaging her forehead slowly. Her face looked up to the orange sky. Amid her mounting frustration, time was ticking towards tomorrow. If only she had the power to control time, she would have completely erased tomorrow from the Earth. However, she was simply not ready. "Are you scared?" asked Deric, camera in hand. When he managed to capture two swans mingling, he immediately took a look at his shot.At the sudden sound, Caraline's reverie was instantly broken. She turned her head while holding her heart in shock. She hit the space on the side again when she found Deric not far from where she was sitting."What did you just do?" screeched Caraline, sending two s