My Billionaire Husband Married a Fool—or So He Thought

“Come in,” Dereck said without turning around. The door clicked shut behind Nathan as he entered the study.

Nathan, his assistant, stepped into the study, his voice cautious. “Sir, you wanted to see me?”

Dereck finally pulled his gaze from his work and swiveled his chair to face Nathan. “Nathan, I need you to look into that oddball.”

“Oddball?” Nathan repeated, thrown by the word.

Dereck lowered his eyes, thinking, then met Nathan’s gaze again. “Yesterday, the Hall family sent someone over—a total nutcase.”

Nathan’s eyes went wide. “But weren’t they supposed to send someone with medical training?”

A frown carved into Dereck’s forehead. His gaze went dark and cold, intense enough to make the room drop a few degrees. Nathan shivered and wisely kept his mouth shut.

After a beat, Dereck continued. “Crazy or not, dig into her background. If nothing sketchy turns up, good—saves us a headache. But if they sent someone sketchy...” He let the sentence hang.

Nathan got the message. With Dereck’s high-profile status, he couldn’t afford some unknown woman hovering close with unclear intentions.

Nathan nodded firmly. “I’ll get the team on it right away, sir.”

Dereck waved him off. Nathan left to handle it.

Once alone, Dereck turned back to his computer and buried himself in work.

Meanwhile, Caroline had reached the lake. Her eyes sparkled with mischief as she took in the shimmering water. But even while wandering, she spent more time plotting an escape route out of the castle than admiring the view. Her main goal: find a discreet way in and out without tipping off the guards.

The estate wasn’t exactly crowded, but the gates were locked down tight. The security made sense—the castle was huge, and only a few people lived inside. Her cover as a mentally unstable woman meant she couldn’t just waltz out the main gates without drawing attention. Add Dereck’s total lack of trust in her, and the whole thing was a minefield.

Caroline took a deep breath and studied the towering walls. They were high as hell, topped with broken glass, electric wires, and alarms—a setup that practically dared you to try. Climbing over? That was begging for trouble. Injury at best. Worse at worst.

Just the thought sent a chill down her spine. Clearly, scaling the wall was a no-go. She needed another way.

As she walked, lost in thought, the autumn sun warmed her skin, cut now and then by a crisp breeze. The grounds stretched forever. It took Caroline nearly half an hour to stumble into a wooded area.

She followed the woodland path deeper, not sure where it led, while mentally mapping the estate’s layout.

Meanwhile, Dereck had finished his official work and wheeled himself downstairs for fresh air. When he entered the garden, he found Kaisen, the butler, tending the plants. He approached him.

“Kaisen.”

The butler straightened, dusted off his clothes, and came to Dereck’s wheelchair with a respectful bow.

“Sir.”

“Have you finished watering the plants?”

“Yes, sir,” Kaisen replied, bowing again.

Dereck nodded, his eyes drifting over the blooming garden as he sank into thought. Kaisen, catching the silence, stood by and waited.

After a long pause, Dereck refocused. “What’s on the menu tonight?”

“Butternut squash soup, roasted lobster with garlic herb butter, pecan-crusted fish, a hearty beef stew, and an arugula pear salad.”

“Hmm.” Dereck checked his watch. “It’s getting late. Let’s head back.”

“Certainly,” Kaisen agreed, guiding Dereck’s wheelchair back to the castle.

Two hours later, Kaisen had set the table for dinner, and Dereck sat down, freshly washed and ready to eat. As Kaisen placed the last dish on the table, he suddenly remembered something.

“Sir, the lady of the house hasn’t returned yet.”

“The lady?” Dereck paused, taking a second to remember he was married now. “Where is she?”

“This afternoon, she said she felt cooped up inside and went for a walk in the garden to get some fresh air.”

“Is she still out there?” Dereck frowned slightly.

“Possibly. She left while I was watering the plants, and I haven’t seen her come back.”

Dereck nodded and handed his bowl to the butler. “Serve me some soup.”

Kaisen obeyed, but couldn’t help asking, “Sir, won’t you wait for the lady to join you for dinner?”

“No. Don’t wait,” Dereck replied, taking the bowl of soup and sipping a little.

He was just about to reach for the fish when Caroline burst in from outside, announcing her arrival like a hurricane.

“Wow! Dinner’s ready. I’m starving!” she exclaimed, theatrically patting her stomach.

She plopped into the chair and looked at Kaisen. “Can you get me a bowl and some silverware? I’m so hungry I can hardly move.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Kaisen replied, turning to fetch it—only to be stopped by Dereck’s voice.

“Wait, Kaisen.”

Kaisen paused and turned to face his employer. “Sir.”

Dereck eyed the disheveled woman in front of him: clothes dirty, face smudged with soil. Irritation rose in him. Maybe he should’ve been more careful with her last night.

“Go take a bath,” he ordered coldly.

“Ah?” Caroline blinked at him, confused.

“Go take a bath,” he repeated, louder.

She pouted, pretending to be reluctant. “I’m starving. Can’t I eat first and then wash up? So heartless.”

Her words made Dereck’s brow twitch. He slammed his fist on the marble table, and the sound echoed.

“Get out and wash up.”

Seeing that he was genuinely angry, Caroline decided not to push it. Her act would only hold up so long, so she obediently left the room.

In her room, she cleaned herself thoroughly, making sure she was spotless before hurrying back to the dining room.

But when she returned, the scene before her lit a flare of irritation inside her.