Jared drove Caroline home to her apartment. He made sure she rested comfortably in her bedroom. He actually stayed there until Caroline fell into a deep sleep on her soft bed.
“This room is a complete mess,” Jared said as he looked around.
The room was still exactly as it had been yesterday because Caroline had not had time to clean it. She barely had time to take care of herself, let alone her apartment.
“Call someone to clean this room,” Jared ordered, looking at Thalius.
“Yes, Mr. Madison.” The man immediately did as Jared asked.
It did not take long before a maid arrived to clean up the entire mess. The room that had looked so disorderly and chaotic now began to look neat. However, it also looked empty.
Jared took Thalius and Donny to a furniture store and bought things he thought would look good in Caroline’s apartment. He completely transformed the room, which had once looked so messy, into everyone’s dream living space. He even replaced all the furniture inside.
Expensive paintings were hung on the walls. There was a wide-screen television, flower vases, urns, and other expensive furnishings.
When Caroline woke up and left her bedroom, she was shocked to find the room completely different from usual. For a moment, she thought she was in the wrong apartment. But when she checked her bedroom again, she realized she was definitely in her own apartment. That only confused Caroline more. Why had her apartment suddenly become so different and luxurious?
Caroline called her mother and asked whether she had gone home and cleaned up the mess.
“I haven’t had a chance to go home because your father still hasn’t regained consciousness,” Bonnie replied in confusion.
“Did I really come to the wrong apartment because I’m not feeling well?” Caroline wondered aloud. She stepped outside to check the number of the apartment she was in. Yet she still found that she was in the right place. The number 306 was written there.
“This is strange.” Caroline grew even more confused.
“Aren’t you working today?” Bonnie asked to make sure, since Caroline had said she was going home because she had to work.
“My boss gave me the day off. He drove me home.”
“Try asking your boss what happened. He was the last person there besides you.”
Caroline had not thought of that. Jared had been very kind to her ever since the incident at the party venue. She did not know why her fiancé’s uncle had a personality so different from Jake’s. Jake was awful and rude, while Jared was the complete opposite.
“You’re right, Mom. I’ll ask my boss.” Caroline spoke firmly.
After ending the call, Caroline contacted her boss. He did not answer right away because Jared was extremely busy working. She tried again and again, but Jared still did not pick up. This made Caroline anxious because she still had no answer about what had happened. She felt confused and worried.
[Uncle, did you clean up my apartment? Why are there expensive things in there?] Caroline texted. She was afraid she would be charged for the renovations. She had no money at the moment and had many debts to pay off, so she had to manage her finances carefully.
Caroline waited for quite a while before finally receiving a reply.
[Yes. Consider it an apology from the Corner family because Jake humiliated you in public. I haven’t had a chance to apologize to you for the way my nephew treated you.]
[But this is too much.]
[It still doesn’t compare to the pain Jake caused you, does it?]
Caroline fell silent. She did not know how to respond. Jared was right—the pain Jake had caused her was deep. No amount of material compensation could compare to it. How could the man she had loved so deeply and planned to marry simply dump her like that?
“Mr. Madison, Jake is looking for you,” Thalius whispered.
“Tell him I’m very busy and can’t be disturbed,” Jared replied firmly. He did not hate Jake; he simply disliked his nephew after what Jake had done to Caroline. How could the nephew he had loved and spoiled so much have no humanity at all? Jared had never expected Jake to let Caroline drown. Not only had he stood by and done nothing, he had even laughed while watching Caroline struggle to reach the surface.
He would teach that man a lesson—a lesson that would open his eyes and heart so he could learn to care more about the people around him.
“Uncle!” Jake tried to enter Jared’s office. Even though Thalius stopped him, Jake kept trying to force his way inside.
Thalius was about to eject him by force when Jared finally allowed his nephew to stay so they could talk.
“What do you want to say?” Jared asked coldly.
“This isn’t fair. Why did you demote me?” Jake protested angrily.
“Was my reason not clear enough?”
“You demoted me just because of Caroline? You made me a manager at the company? I don’t want a low-ranking position like that.”
“This isn’t only about Caroline. It’s about basic humanity. What would you have done if Caroline had drowned at the party you hosted? The news would have spread everywhere, and our family would have been branded a family of murderers.”
“She fell on her own. I didn’t touch her at all,” Jake continued defending himself.
“You’re at fault because you did nothing. Your empathy should have kicked in when you saw someone in trouble, especially when someone’s life was at stake,” Jared emphasized.
Jake exhaled harshly. “I apologize for that. Now put me back in my position as CEO of the branch office.”
“I’ll give you six months. If you can behave better, I’ll restore your position. I’ll hand the subsidiary over to you, not merely make you its CEO,” Jared promised.
“You’re serious?” Jake’s eyes widened at his uncle’s words. It was an incredibly tempting offer. He would have much more power if the subsidiary became his property instead of merely being a company where he worked as CEO.
“Yes, you can hold me to that promise. I’ll have my subordinates monitor your every move. If you behave well during these six months, you can take the company as your own. But if you cause trouble even once, I’ll demote you again,” Jared stressed.
“Fine, I accept your offer. I’ll hold you to your promise, Uncle. I’ll come collect on it six months from now,” Jake said confidently, thinking he would succeed at the challenge Jared had given him.
“I forgot one thing,” Jared added.
“What is it?”
“You have to get Emily to remain faithful to you while you’re in your current position. I’ve already told your parents to restrict your access to money. So you’ll only be able to use the salary you earn. If Emily can stick with you, you pass.”
“What the fuck? Are you serious, Uncle? Why are you making my life so difficult? Do you hate me just because of that damn girl?” Jake looked furious.
Jared was angry when Jake called Caroline a damn girl, but he tried to act normal to conceal his feelings.
“I’m doing this because I care about you and love you, Jake. I want you to become a good, honorable man. I want you to find the right woman—one who truly loves you instead of merely coveting your wealth. You threw away a sincere woman like Caroline, so you need to find someone better than her, not someone worse,” Jared said firmly. “I’ll always be watching you, so you won’t be able to lie to me.”
“Sweetheart, can you come to the hospital now?” Bonnie asked through the phone, sobbing.
“I’m working, Mom. What happened? Has Dad woken up?” Caroline asked happily. After being in a coma for three days, he was finally showing signs of improvement.
Bonnie did not answer. Her sobs only grew louder.
“Mom?” Caroline began to panic. After hearing her mother sob, she started imagining all kinds of things. Every terrible possibility flashed through her mind. If everything were all right, her mother would not have called her sobbing like this, especially during work hours.
“What happened?” Caroline raised her voice.
Lenzy, who was standing not far away, looked at her sarcastically, apparently annoyed that Caroline was taking a personal call during work hours. Everyone knew personal calls were forbidden while working. Caroline was clearly breaking the rules.
“Your father died.” The sentence was spoken by Lenzy in a hoarse, trembling voice. It was the most painful sentence she had ever said to Caroline.
Caroline fell silent when she heard it. She tried to process what had happened. How could she be faced with one problem after another? Her heart seemed to stop beating when she heard those words. Her face turned pale. The news made her entire body feel as though it had melted. Her legs trembled beneath her weight. She wanted to cry and scream, but it was as if she had no tears left. She could not cry anymore.
What sin had Caroline committed to be struck by disaster over and over again? Her family had gone bankrupt not long ago. Her fiancé had dumped her. And now her father had died. On top of that, she still did not know what had happened to Aalya after the attack carried out by her older sister. She would not be able to face this alone.
“Carol, if you don’t intend to work, you can quit!” Lenzy said harshly.
Caroline jolted at the words. She had to get to the hospital now! She quickly grabbed her bag and ran down the corridor. Lenzy would not let her leave. She chased after her, grabbed hold of her, and tried to stop her.
“I don’t know what you’ve done to make Mr. Madison so kind to you, but you can’t act however you want. I’ll tell Mr. Madison if you’re trying to skip work. He needs to know what you’re really like. You clearly have no ambition to work,” Lenzy said, taking advantage of the situation to curry favor with her boss. She yanked Caroline roughly.
Caroline did not say a word. She fought back with all her strength until Lenzy’s grip came loose. She ran faster, hoping to reach the hospital and see her father as soon as possible. Lenzy kept chasing her and shouting, turning them into the center of attention for the entire office.
Thalius promptly informed Jared of what was happening. The broad-shouldered man quickly left his office. He strode down the hall and found Lenzy arguing with Caroline.
“Stop bothering me!” Caroline looked utterly frustrated because Lenzy kept trying to stop her.
“I’m not bothering you. I’m only trying to stop you from leaving! You can’t leave without Mr. Madison’s permission!” Lenzy tried to explain.
Jared approached. His gaze was intensely focused on Caroline.
“What happened? Don’t you realize you’ve caused a disturbance here and disrupted everyone’s work?” Jared demanded.
“Mr. Madison, she intended to run away. I was only trying to hold her back as her friend,” Lenzy said, trying to curry favor with Jared.
Caroline did not defend herself at all. She simply stood there, her eyes revealing everything she felt. Panic, worry, anxiety, anger, and profound grief all shone in her gaze. Jared could see it clearly. He did not know what had happened, but he knew something extremely serious had occurred for Caroline to act like this.
“You can go,” Jared said gently.
“But, Mr. Madison—” Lenzy objected.
“Are you or I the boss here?” Jared stared sharply at Lenzy.
Lenzy fell silent. She had not expected Jared to take Caroline’s side. She had done what she believed was right. Why had Caroline been defended ever since her first day working there? Lenzy still wondered. What was so special about Caroline? Caroline was beautiful, but so was she. Caroline had a great body, and so did she. In fact, her appearance was more attractive and luxurious than Caroline’s clothes.
“Thank you.” Caroline spoke in a hoarse, trembling voice. She quickly left after receiving Jared’s permission.
Lenzy looked annoyed and confused at the same time. She wanted to protest, but she did not want to seem irritating in front of Jared, so once again, she could only back down.
Jared looked at Thalius seriously, as if signaling for him to follow Caroline and find out what had happened. Thalius understood the signal and quickly followed Caroline all the way to the hospital.
“Mom!” Caroline immediately hugged her mother when she arrived. They cried together, then hurried to the room where Anthony’s body lay.
Caroline felt as if half her soul had died when she saw her father lying motionless on the hospital bed with his eyes closed. How could she have lost her father because of her older sister? Could this be called murder? Had her sister killed their father?
Caroline’s sobs broke loose as she embraced his body. She had not given her father enough attention and affection lately. Especially after Jake had cast her aside, she had spent more time shut away in her room than talking with her parents. Now she regretted not being able to spend meaningful time with Anthony during his final days.
“Dad, you can’t die this soon. You haven’t even seen me in my wedding dress. You said you wanted to hold your grandchild. Why did you break your promise? I’m not married yet, so you can’t die. Come on, wake up!” Caroline shook her father’s body as her sobs grew more intense.
Bonnie could do nothing but cry as she watched her daughter mourn her husband. She also felt devastated by Anthony’s death, especially because it had been caused by her own daughter.
“Aalya has to pay for all of this! I’ll settle the score with her. She’d better never come back if her return is what caused Dad to die!” Caroline spoke with hatred.
Not a trace of longing remained in her heart. She considered her sister dead. To Caroline, Aalya was now nothing more than her father’s murderer. She would get revenge for this.
“So that’s what happened? Her father died. And the robbery story she told us was made up? There was no robbery—the person who did it was her older sister, the one she told us about?” Jared confirmed the news Thalius had given him.
“That’s right, Mr. Madison. Caroline is arranging the funeral now. She doesn’t want to wait and wants to bury her father before nightfall.”
Jared could not believe how slowly his subordinates had acted. He had paid many people to search for Aalya, yet Aalya had already returned to this city and caused major trouble. Meanwhile, the people he had paid had not given him any news. He began to doubt their abilities. Or perhaps Aalya was not an ordinary person whose whereabouts could easily be tracked. Anyone who could attack an elderly man without the slightest remorse could not be an ordinary woman—unless she had no heart at all.
“Caroline is in danger if she intends to settle the score with her sister. I can’t let this happen,” Jared said to himself. He knew how vulnerable Caroline was; there was no way she could fight someone like Aalya. Aalya seemed accustomed to a life of crime, especially with her boyfriend supporting her. To them, Caroline was probably nothing more than a tiny fly.
Jared exhaled harshly. He rose from his chair and left the room. It was already two in the afternoon, with several hours still remaining before the end of the workday. The employees appeared to be working seriously and calmly.
Lenzy looked at her boss with a questioning gaze. Every time she saw him, she tried to guess what was on Jared’s mind. She wanted to know what he was thinking because he always wore a serious expression. One thing she still had not figured out was what type of woman Jared liked. She had researched the kind of woman he wanted, but so far, she had found no clue at all.
“Today’s work ends here. You can continue tomorrow morning during regular working hours,” Jared announced loudly.
All the employees there immediately turned to look at him in unison. They wondered why they were suddenly being sent home. Although they looked confused, they also seemed pleased. They could go home early.
Jared gave no explanation. He hurried away while sending a message to the head manager to email an announcement that the employees could leave early that day. That way, he would not have to inform them one by one on every floor. One email was enough to deliver the information to everyone.
“Gather the managers, department heads, and branch heads, as well as the employees in Caroline’s division. We’re going to pay our respects at her home today. Don’t forget to give them condolence money.”
“But, Mr. Madison, she’s a new employee. Do we really need to do this?”
“New employee or longtime employee, it makes no difference. Ask the employees for funeral donations and combine them with the company’s condolence benefit. I’ll contribute as well.” Jared reached into his pocket. He only had a thousand dollars in cash, so that was all he could give. If he had had more cash, he would have given all of it.
“Yes, Mr. Madison.” The man nodded in agreement, then immediately carried out Jared’s orders.
“Who’s Caroline?”
“I think she’s the new employee who once ate at the same table as Mr. Madison.”
“Is she really that important that we’re being sent home early just because her father died?”
“We kept working even when Mr. Madison’s father was buried.”
“This is really strange.”
Everyone seemed confused when they were asked to contribute funeral donations for Caroline’s father. Caroline’s name became extremely well-known around the office. That only made Lenzy more jealous. She was not only jealous; she was worried too. She had never felt this concerned about another woman’s presence before. She was afraid Caroline’s presence would leave her no chance to get close to Jared.
Jared, Thalius, and Donny hurried to the funeral home where Caroline had brought her father’s body.
“I knew it,” Jared murmured when he arrived. There was no one there besides Caroline, her mother, and the funeral staff.
This was not surprising. News of Anthony’s family going bankrupt had spread, along with reports of their enormous debt. People were probably afraid Caroline would ask them for donations.
“Uncle, you’re here? Did someone in your family die?” Caroline looked around.
Her eyes were still swollen and red from crying so much. She seemed to be looking for someone. If someone from the Corner family had died, Jake would certainly be there.
“He’s not here.” Jared seemed to answer the question in Caroline’s mind.
Caroline exhaled harshly. After all the pain Jake had caused her, she still could not forget him. The harder she tried, the less she could let him go.
“We came to pay our respects,” Jared told her.
“You came to pay your respects to my father?” Caroline stared at him in disbelief.
Jared had never even met her father in person. They had only known each other by name. Why was he willing to go to so much trouble to come to the funeral?
“Mr. Madison isn’t the only one here. We are too,” Thalius added.
“The other employees are here too.” Donny turned toward the entrance.
A crowd of people could be seen streaming in to pay their respects.
“We’re sorry for coming in our office clothes,” Jared said mournfully.
Caroline was deeply moved. She had thought her father’s funeral would be unbearably lonely, but now it was crowded. Although she did not know the mourners personally, she was still very happy. She smiled through tearful eyes.
“Thank you, Uncle. You’ve helped me so much. I don’t know why you’re so kind to me. May I hug you?” Caroline looked at him sincerely.
“Of course.” Jared spoke willingly. That was why he had come. He knew Caroline needed a shoulder to lean on. He knew she needed a hug to ease her burden.
Caroline hugged him and began crying in his arms. To hell with the looks from the people around them. She no longer cared if malicious gossip about her spread the next day.
“Let it all out. Cry until you feel better,” Jared said tenderly.
“Uncle, I’ll remember all the kindness you’ve shown me. I’ll repay you someday. I promise,” Caroline said with determination.
“I’ll hold you to that promise,” Jared replied.
Lenzy, who heard their conversation, could only stand there in confusion. She was confused by the way Caroline called Jared Uncle. No wonder Jared was so kind to her—they were related.
“Wait. If Caroline is related to Mr. Madison by blood, shouldn’t she have the Corner family name?” Lenzy wondered to herself. “Ah, maybe she uses her father’s surname, since he isn’t from the Corner family. But why didn’t I know he had a niece? Doesn’t everyone know he only has a nephew named Jake? Ah, maybe they kept her hidden from the public because of some family matter. No wonder Mr. Madison is so kind to Caroline. I was the stupid one for not realizing it. I need to treat Caroline well from now on. She isn’t a rival after all.” Lenzy continued her inner monologue, having completely misunderstood Caroline and Jared’s relationship.