Caroline opened the door to see an empty corridor. There was no one there. "Strange. Nobody's here," she mumbled to herself. Kirk had followed her to the door. He looked to the left and right and saw no one there either. In his hoarse voice, he said, "Maybe a kid tried to prank you. Let's go back and eat." "Okay." Caroline nodded and closed the door. When the corridor became quiet again, Eddy walked out from behind the safety exit and stared at the closed door of Caroline's apartment. A gush of disappointment flashed through his eyes. Caroline was now married and living with another man. All this time, he'd wished that she would stop pestering him. Ironically, he didn't feel as happy as he'd expected himself to be when his wish came true. It was as though something was stuck in his heart that he couldn't get rid of. He didn't even have the courage to see Caroline and her husband standing together and had to resort to hiding. …In front of a coffee shop, Caroline and Gwen
"Mhmm." Gwen hummed and nodded. "Have you thought of which painting you're going to give Mr. Morrison Senior?" she asked. Caroline opened the auction house's website and skimmed through the items that were being auctioned today. "This one," she handed her phone to Gwen and explained, "It's by Zach Zimmer. Although he isn't that popular compared to other artists, his works have a certain flair and character to them that Grandpa likes. I can afford it too, so it's the best gift I can get for Grandpa." "I am truly speechless at how far you're willing to go for him." Gwen laughed. "How much does this cost, then?" "About a million dollars, I think.""A million dollars! Where did you get the money from?" "My savings." Caroline sighed. "Grandpa's always been very kind to me, but I've let him down. I'm not going to be his granddaughter-in-law anymore, so this painting serves as some kind of compensation too." "It's not your fault—" Gwen exclaimed.Caroline quickly interrupted her
As Caroline returned to her seat, Gwen immediately noticed that something was off with her friend's expression. When Gwen saw Brie walking out of the restroom not long after that, she guessed what had happened. "Did Brie mess with you?" she asked Caroline, jumping up from her seat, ready to go and confront Brie. Caroline quickly pulled her back into her seat. "No." "Then what's that look on your face?" Caroline touched her cheeks. "My stomach feels a little weird." "Do you want to go to the hospital?" "It's not that bad." Caroline shot Gwen a smile. "Maybe it's because of the coffee we had just now. I'm sure it'll get better after a while." A concerned frown formed on Gwen's face. "You didn't have a problem like this before. I'll ask the staff to get you some warm water to drink." "Okay." Caroline would agree to anything as long as Gwen didn't go to find Brie's trouble. After Gwen left, she leaned in her seat and rubbed her hands together, immersed in her thoughts.So
Even Gwen couldn't help herself as she tugged Caroline's sleeve and whispered to her, "Carol, have you gone nuts? You shouldn't be bidding this much, even if you like this painting." Where did Caroline get that much money from? However, Caroline calmly turned to look at Brie, who looked like an angry tomato. She gently patted the back of Gwen's hand and assured her, "Don't fret. Someone's paying for it." Gwen was more confused than reassured. She was about to ask Caroline what she meant but heard Brie call, "20 million dollars!" Now, Brie could finally let go of the breath she'd been holding. She glanced sideways at Caroline, her chin tilted upward. She was clearly pleased with herself. Caroline smiled in response. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, she placed one hand over her paddle but didn't raise it in the air. On stage, the host waited for about a minute to make sure that no one was making another bid and then announced, "Going at 20 million dollars!" "20 millio
Naturally, Caroline wouldn't just run off without her best friend. She picked the hand warmer up and used it to whack the faces of the people surrounding them. They were all women and cared very much about their appearances. Hence, they were busy covering their faces to avoid getting hit. They instantly forgot all about Gwen. However, Brie had brought too many of them. Caroline and Gwen alone weren't enough to handle all of them. It wasn't long before Caroline started to feel worn out. Just then, they heard a loud rush of footsteps coming from outside. "Quick! Hurry up! Eddy Morrison's second uncle has returned, and he's just right in there!" Someone in the crowd of journalists exclaimed enthusiastically. They barged in and froze on the spot when they saw the group of women lashing out and pulling at each other's hair. This sight made them forget all about the reason they came here. What the fuck? Ms. Collins and Eddy Morrison's fiancée were in a brawl! This would surely ma
"You—" "Be quick, and write my name on it." Caroline paused for a moment and added, "If you don't, I'll call the jewelry store right now to ask for the surveillance footage!" She enunciated the last few words slowly for emphasis.Brie's grip on the pen tightened, and she stared daggers at Caroline. "Fine. I'll do it," she spat through gritted teeth. Seeing that Brie had finally written down her name, Caroline felt the satisfaction she'd anticipated. She turned to Gwen and said, "Gwen, let's go." Heartily, Gwen agreed. Before walking past Brie, she said to her, "Thank you, Ms. Collins, for being so magnanimous." It made Brie so pissed that she flung the pen at the ground. After leaving the auction house, Gwen hooked an arm around Caroline's and said, "Carol, you were so cool just now! I think I'm going to start fangirling over you!""You're exaggerating!" came Caroline's reply. "It's true!" exclaimed Gwen. "Brie always mocked you in the past. You told me before that the Mo
Caroline froze. "How did you know that I'd bought a necktie?" Kirk glanced at the bag and laughed. "I guessed it. What? Are you reluctant to give it to me?" "No. I bought it because I wanted to thank you for giving me this bracelet. But now, you're giving me this painting, and I … I don't know what to do to express my gratitude," Caroline mumbled. Kirk swallowed, a tad touched by her explanation. The worry he'd had vanished into thin air. "Help me tie it then." "Huh?" A blush crept up Caroline's cheeks. Never in her life had she helped a man tie a tie. Besides, tying a tie for someone meant she had to get close to them, and she'd only do it for someone she was close to. Yet now Kirk was asking her to do it for him."We're meeting my father next month, yet we seem distant from each other. We don't look like a newlywed couple at all. Since you're thinking of a way to thank me, you can get used to being my wife. My family won't doubt our relationship, and they'll finally stop
Caroline's eyes fluttered open to see Kirk smirking at her. "What are you doing?" he asked, amused. Immediately, her face flushed red. "N—nothing!" "But you closed your eyes just now—""I was … I just couldn't make myself look at the tie." In her haste, she told him the first excuse she could come up with. She looked around the spot she was standing in, trying to think of a way to get out of this predicament.Suddenly, the painting he'd given her popped into her mind, and she mumbled, "I—I have to keep the painting somewhere … I'm going back to my room." With that, she darted out of the dining room and into her room, closing the door with a bang. Kirk watched her the entire time. As he stared at the closed door of her bedroom, the smile in his eyes faded and was replaced with his usual icy look. He'd almost lost control of himself … and he'd never done that in front of a woman before!Maybe Sean was right. Maybe he did like Caroline a bit. But that didn't mean that it was l