"Is that so? Her father died. And the robbery story she told was made up? There was no real robbery, because it was her sister that she told about." Jared confirmed the news Thalius had given.

"That's right, sir. Caroline is now making arrangements for the funeral. She doesn't want to wait long and wants to bury her father before nightfall."

Jared hadn't expected his men to move so slowly. He had paid a lot of people to find Aalya, but she had returned to the city and made a big deal out of it. Meanwhile, the people he had paid had not given any news. He doubted the ability of those people. Or maybe Aalya was not a random person who could be traced. Let alone mistreating her elderly father without any guilt at all—that's not something a woman could do if she still had a heart.

"Caroline is in danger if she wants to make a calculation with her sister. I can't allow this." Jared said to himself. He knew that, as weak as Caroline was, it was impossible for her to fight someone like Aalya. It seemed that Aalya was used to the life of a criminal, especially since she was supported by her boyfriend. Caroline must have been just a fly in the ointment for them.

Jared sighed harshly. He got up from his chair and left the room. It was already two o'clock in the afternoon, and there were still a few hours left before dismissal time. The employees seemed to be working seriously and quietly.

Lenzy looked at his boss with a questioning look. She tried to guess what was on Jared's mind every time she saw the man. She wanted to know what Jared was thinking because the man always wore a serious face. One thing she didn't know the answer to was the type of woman Jared liked. She had looked into what kind of woman the man wanted, but so far she had gotten no clues at all.

"Today's work ends here. You can continue tomorrow morning at your usual working hours." Jared said it out loud.

All the employees who were there automatically turned their heads simultaneously. They wondered why they were suddenly sent home. Although they looked confused, they looked happy. Because they can go home faster.

Jared did not give any explanation. He hurried away while sending a message to the head manager to send an email announcement that the employees could go home early today. So he didn't have to tell them one by one from one floor to another. Just by sending one email, all the information was instantly conveyed.

"Gather the managers, section heads, and branch heads. As well as the employees who were in the same division as Caroline, we'll be paying our respects at her house today. Don't forget to make a donation."

"But, sir. She's a new employee; do we need to do this?"

"New employee or old employee is the same. It makes no difference. Ask for the death donation money from the employees and combine it with the company's death donation. I will also make a donation." Jared said as he reached into his pocket. There was only one thousand dollars in cash there, so he could only give that. If he had more cash, he would give it all.

"Yes, sir." The man nodded in agreement. Then he immediately carried out the orders Jared gave him.

"Who's Caroline?"

"It looks like the new girl who had a table with Mr. Madison."

"Is it that important that we're being sent home early just because of her father's death?"

"We even kept working when Mr. Madison's father was buried."

"This is really strange."

Everyone seemed confused when they were asked for the death donation for Caroline's father's death. Caroline's name became very popular in the office. This made Lenzy even more jealous. Not only was she jealous, she was also worried. Never before had she felt this worried about another woman. She was afraid that Caroline's presence would prevent her from getting close to Jared.

Jared, Thalius, and Donny rushed to the funeral home, where Caroline had brought her father's body.

"I knew it." Jared spoke quietly when he arrived at his destination. There was no one there but Caroline, her mother, and the funeral director.

This was not a surprise. The news of the Anthony family's bankruptcy had spread with the news of the huge debt. People must have been worried that Caroline would ask for donations.

"Uncle, are you here? Did someone die in your family?" Caroline looked around. Her eyes were still puffy and red from crying too much. She seemed to be looking around for someone. If one of the Corner family members had died, surely Jake would be there.

"He's not here." Jared seemed to be answering what was on Caroline's mind.

Caroline sighed harshly. After all the pain Jake had given her, she still couldn't forget him. The more she tried, the more she couldn't forget.

"We came to pay our respects," Jared announced.

"You came to mourn my father?" Caroline stared in disbelief.

Jared had never even met her father in person. They only knew each other by name. But why would he go to the trouble of coming to pay his respects?

"It's not just Mr. Madison; we're here too." Thalius interjected.

"Other employees, too." Donny turned to the entrance.

There were people flocking to come and mourn.

"I'm sorry that we came to mourn in office clothes." Jared said it with full condolences.

Caroline was deeply moved when her father's funeral, which she thought would be very quiet, became so crowded. Even though she didn't know the mourners personally, she still felt very happy. She smiled with teary eyes.

"Thank you, Uncle. You've helped me so much. I don't know why you are so good to me. Can I hug you?" Caroline stared sincerely.

"Of course." Jared said it happily. That's what he came here for. He knew Caroline needed a shoulder to lean on. He knew she needed a hug to lighten the load.

Caroline embraced and began to cry in Jared's arms. To hell with the stares of the people around. She no longer cared if there would be bad rumors about her tomorrow.

"Let go of everything. Cry until you're satisfied." Jared said it with great tenderness.

"Uncle, I will remember all the kindness you have given me. I will repay you someday. I promise." Caroline said it with determination.

"I have your word." Jared replied later.

Lenzy, who heard their conversation, could only remain silent in confusion. She was confused by Caroline's uncle's nickname. No wonder Jared was so kind to her; it turned out that they had a brotherly relationship.

"Wait a minute. If Caroline is related to Mr. Madison, she should be using the surname Corner." Lenzy wondered to himself. "Ah, it's possible that she took the surname of her father, who is not from the Corner family. But why don't I know if he has a niece? Doesn't everyone know that he only has a nephew named Jake? Ah, maybe they kept this a secret from the public due to internal issues. No wonder Mr. Madison is so nice to Caroline. I'm a fool for not realizing that. I have to be nice to Caroline from now on. She's not a rival." Lenzy was monologuing to himself. She had mistaken the relationship between Caroline and Jared.