My Billionaire Husband Married a Fool—or So He Thought

Dereck watched the woman pull the door shut behind her, and only then did he let out the breath he’d been holding. Relief washed over him—just a little, but enough. Afraid she might come back, he shot out of bed, triple-locked the door, then sank back against the pillows. A smile crept across his face before he even noticed.

The next morning, Caroline woke up ravenous. Her stomach was screaming at her. She hadn’t eaten a single bite since she’d devoured that poisoned meal yesterday, and now hunger had her dizzy.

She still needed to deal with the scumbag who’d drugged her, but for now, she’d play along and protect her cover. Once things settled, she swore she’d get her revenge.

After freshening up, Caroline ventured out. The vast estate felt eerily empty. How could such a grand place feel abandoned? Was it haunted or something?

Her stomach growled again—right, food. She needed to find the kitchen. She wandered through the mansion until she finally found it, tucked away at the back.

One step inside, and her suspicion was confirmed: completely empty. How did that man stand living alone in a sprawling, silent house like this?

She shook her head, trying to banish him from her thoughts. Hunger was messing with her mind.

Caroline rummaged through the kitchen, but the fridge was as barren as a desert. “Gone to the fairy realm, maybe?” she muttered, leaving empty-handed.

After failing to find so much as a crumb, she trudged back to her small room and pulled out her phone. Takeout? Maybe. Then it hit her—she didn’t even know the address.

Just then, a knock at the door cut through her thoughts—music to her ears. She dashed over to answer it.

It was yesterday’s butler.

“What would you like for lunch, madam?” Kaisen asked politely.

Caroline put on a wide-eyed, innocent smile, her eyes sparkling with fake naivety. “Oh, anything you make. I’m sure I’ll love it.”

“Very well,” the butler said, and left without another word.

Starving, Caroline had no choice but to trail him to the kitchen.

Once there, she eyed the ingredients on the counter. Internally, she rolled her eyes, but she kept her mouth shut and waited in the dining room.

An hour later, she was nearly asleep by the time Kaisen finally brought the meal.

“Madam, lunch is served.”

Caroline straightened up, glanced at the three courses and a soup on the table, grabbed a fork, and dug in eagerly.

Kaisen watched the unrestrained young woman, smiled slightly, and excused himself.

After finishing every last bite, Caroline left the dining room satisfied and returned to her room.

Her phone buzzed. She switched screens and found two new messages.

From Allen: “Boss, the video you sent me is fixed. It’s in your email now. Check it out.”

From Tommy: “Boss, someone in the States is trying to find you.”

Caroline quickly replied to both.

To Allen: “Thanks. I’ll check the video right away.”

To Tommy: “Ignore them—unless they find a way to reach me.”

Switching back into her usual innocent demeanor, she set her phone aside and fired up her laptop to check her email.

Once the video downloaded, she watched it carefully. It wasn’t crystal clear, but it was a hell of a lot better than the garbled mess from before. Her hand clenched into a fist.

Scenes of her mother and brother played out like a movie in her mind—hazy, blurred by time. She’d only been eight when it happened.

The smoke-filled room in the video dragged her straight back to the nightmare of that morning—the day she lost her mother and brother and was quickly whisked away to another country by her uncle.

Her uncle and aunt soon followed, moving the whole family to the States. Caroline’s heart hardened as she remembered those responsible for her family’s tragedy. Her mission back home was fraught with risk, and she couldn’t afford a single slip-up.

She washed her face in the bathroom, pulled herself together, then returned to her room.

With her laptop on her lap, she logged onto a medical website. A new message instantly caught her eye: an urgent request offering a fortune to find the elusive healer, Lorrie.

Caroline clicked to read more and noted the substantial reward. Ah, money. She accepted the offer, arranged a meeting, and shut down her laptop.

Slipping back into her simpleton persona, she left her room. As the day wore on into afternoon, she wandered outside to the estate’s expansive garden.

Aside from Kaisen, the tranquil estate was deserted.

She found him tending to flowers and bounced over with childish enthusiasm.

“Are you the only one here, Uncle?” she asked, her expression full of naive curiosity.

Kaisen turned to her, smiling kindly at her presence. “Is there anything you need, madam?”

Caroline shook her head earnestly. “No, no. I’m just bored. It’s lonely being by myself.”

The butler felt a pang of sympathy. “The estate is indeed quiet, but there’s value in tranquility.”

“Oh,” Caroline replied, pretending to understand, before pointing excitedly toward the pond.

“Can I go play by the pond, Uncle?”

“Certainly, but please be careful,” Kaisen advised gently.

Caroline clapped her hands joyfully and skipped toward the pond without a care in the world.

Unbeknownst to her, Dereck watched her from the third-floor study window. As he took in her almost childlike movements, his phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID, silently pressed decline, and let the call go unanswered.